Reporting from WASHINGTON

Lawyer says proposal for Trump Tower in Russia was abandoned

President Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

President Trump’s personal lawyer is acknowledging that the president’s company considered building a Trump Tower in Moscow during the Republican primary, but the plan was abandoned “for a variety of business reasons.”

The attorney, Michael Cohen, disclosed the details Monday to the House Intelligence Committee. The committee is looking into potential Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The statement was subsequently obtained by the Associated Press.

Cohen says he worked on the proposal with Felix Sater, a Russia-born associate who claimed to have deep connections in Moscow.

The story was first reported Monday by the Washington Post. The New York Times reported on emails in which Sater boasted to Cohen that the real estate deal could help get Trump elected.

UPDATES

12:05 p.m.: This post has been updated with a response from President Trump’s lawyer.

This post originally published at 5:58 a.m.