Yes, there is evidence Trump does business with Russians

“The reason they blame Russia is they are trying to tarnish me with Russia. I know about Russia, but not about the inner workings. I have no business there and no loans from Russia. I have a great balance sheet.” — Donald Trump

We will never know the full range of facts and figures about Trump’s private business dealings across the globe, but there is some evidence that the businessman has done work in Russia.

The Washington Post has reported that at a real estate conference in New York in 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets.” “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia,” he added.

Additionally, Trump brought his Miss Universe pageant to Moscow, and POLITICO’s Michael Crowley writes “the Manhattan mogul watched 86 contestants don shimmering evening gowns and skimpy swimsuits for what he would call ‘the world’s biggest and most iconic beauty contest.’” Crowley has also written about Trump’s extensive business dealing with one Aras Agalarov, a billionaire Russian real estate mogul with ties to Putin.