Why did Trump Tower Moscow project end?

[AndJusticeForSome]

Last edited Fri Nov 30, 2018, 03:36 AM - Edit history (1)

What's the most plausible reason?

ETA: After re-reading articles about the project, it looks like this was all a pipe dream of Sater and Cohen. While a few oligarchs seemed to play along, I doubt it ever got very far up the food chain there.

Cohen was clearly motivated by a desire to impress his idol Trump.

Sater... It almost feels like he was somehow trying to set up Trump. Either that or just his hubris and greed motivated him.

Trump of course knew all about it as evidenced by him signing the LOI on October 28, 2015.

Turns out Trump's own big mouth tanked the whole thing:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/anthonycormier/trump-moscow-micheal-cohen-felix-sater-campaign?bfsource=relatedmanual

Sater kept holding out hope — working his sources in Russia right through the convention — until July 26, 2016, when Sater, while relaxing in the backyard of his Long Island home, read a tweet by Trump and knew right then that the deal was dead.

The Trump tweet: "I have ZERO investments in Russia."

[Eko]

1. What makes you think it did end?

[AndJusticeForSome]

2. Didn't Cohen say it ended in June 2016? nt

[Eko]

4. And you believe him?

Not sure I do.

[AndJusticeForSome]

9. I don't not believe him nt

[Jeffersons Ghost]

29. K&R; Why believe a liar? read this:

Mueller's weapon of choice is still an FBI FISA Warrant: read ALL of this...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211491422

GOTCHA
The National Security Agency is the only government group that actually listens...
Maybe, FBI online agents are finally "listening" too...

[SunSeeker]

15. No, he just said they were pursuing it through at least June 2016.

And it didn't really "end." More like it went into limbo. It just went as far as it could go before hitting roadblocks presented by the Magnitsky Act sanctions. The sanctions had to be lifted for it to go legally go further. The sanctions were never lifted.

Also, Russian election hacking had hit the news, and they had to put it aside until the heat blew over. It never did blow over:

"Sater also said that the pair stopped working on the Moscow deal as soon as the issue of Russian election hacking emerged in the news because it became clear it would become a political liability.

In fact, he said, it is not a coincidence that, according to court documents filed today, Michael Cohen canceled a planned trip to Moscow on June 14, 2016 — the same day the Post broke the story that Russians had hacked the Democratic National Committee."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/scuttled-trump-tower-moscow-project-back-limelight-after-cohen-guilty-n941796

[Cha]

23. Ah Ha! Thanks, SunSeeker!

Scuttled Trump Tower Moscow project back in limelight after Cohen guilty plea

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/scuttled-trump-tower-moscow-project-back-limelight-after-cohen-guilty-n941796

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. The Oligarchs did not want to pay for it?

Because if Putin got a $50 million dollar penthouse, they would want one as well .

[dawg day]

5. Putin didn't need it anymore?

He now had Trump under his thumb. He could go with the stick, not the carrot.

[AndJusticeForSome]

7. This is what I think, too

Putin *had* to know that the Trump name would very soon be less than worthless. Why would he want that stain in Moscow?

Plus, what you said.

[AndJusticeForSome]

8. Or, Putin substituted an even bigger carrot, the presidency nt

[Jacoby365]

6. The sanctions were not lifted?

[AndJusticeForSome]

10. If the project ended mid-2016, too early for that nt

[Jacoby365]

14. I was thinking that possibly the project was put on hold

and would only come to fruition when Trump was elected and lifted the sanctions. Just a thought.

[moondust]

11. Russians at the Trump Tower meeting

told the Rump family to forget it? Pooty already held all the cards and didn't need the penthouse bribe plus he didn't want Rump sucking rubles out of Moscow?

[SunSeeker]

12. Sanctions weren't lifted when Trump took office as the Kremlin had hoped.

So there was no way to consummate it.

[AndJusticeForSome]

13. How does that square with the deal falling apart in June? nt

[SunSeeker]

18. I don't think the deal fell apart. It just went into limbo.

The deal went as far as it could go before hitting Magnitsky Act roadblocks. The Russians thought Trump would lift those sanctions once he took office (that's what Flynn told them). It seems pretty obvious the deal got mothballed, not ended.

Also, Russian election hacking had hit the news, and they had to put it aside until the heat blew over. It never did blow over:

"Sater also said that the pair stopped working on the Moscow deal as soon as the issue of Russian election hacking emerged in the news because it became clear it would become a political liability.

In fact, he said, it is not a coincidence that, according to court documents filed today, Michael Cohen canceled a planned trip to Moscow on June 14, 2016 — the same day the Post broke the story that Russians had hacked the Democratic National Committee."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/scuttled-trump-tower-moscow-project-back-limelight-after-cohen-guilty-n941796

[mr_lebowski]

16. Russians knew all along that IQ45 had no actual MONEY OF HIS OWN to fund such a project ...

Putin and his oligarch buddies were laughing at Dumpies ridiculous proposal ALL ALONG, playing him for the fool, trying to get him to compromise himself in some way, so they'd own him.

Basically they were trying to leverage his childish, narcissistic delusions of grandeur ... to get the sanctions lifted, should he manage to become POTUS. And I STRONGLY suspect they succeeded.

They were absolutely playing him, and were NEVER going let that project proceed, because in reality, Trump was begging THEM ... for money. He didn't have his part of the funds, never did, never will. He was just trying to trade on his 'name', and they were laughing at his ass all along.

It ended, because Trump is an over-leveraged, stupid fucking man-child, trying to play WAY OUT OF HIS LEAGUE, right from the beginning.

[dweller]

19. and then

they peed on him and laughed a lot more... and filmed it


✌🏼️

[Jarqui]

20. I think it looked bad for a candidate for president

and through Deutsche bank or some other country, they found another path to keep him afloat financially.

[RDANGELO]

17. The Russians probably never intended to do the deal in the first place.

They just used it to cultivate Trump as an asset. The reason they were financing his places outside of Russia, was to help launder the money they were stealing from the Russian people by getting it out of the country. A facility in Russia would do them no good. This is how it is explained in Unger's book House of Putin House of Trump.

[JI7]

21. Putin was never going to allow that shit to be built in his country

just like north korea's kim they will make trump think he will be able to open up trump towers and other businesses but they are just fooling him.

[world wide wally]

22. Putin can build it himself if there is money to be made

[DFW]

25. Maybe Putin got a look at his tax returns

And he realized, "holy Lenin, dude is broke! Not give more money."

[yortsed snacilbuper]

26. putin probably seen what happened to Atlantic City,

and didn't want to see Moscow become a blighted city!

[greyl]

27. It was never going to happen, Trump is a gullible fool and Putin bested him. nt

[randr]

28. The tower was the carrot

[duforsure]

30. It could have all along been another putin dangle

Knowing trump was desperate for a deal ,and putin didn't go through with it because he wanted the sanctions lifted first before he committed, then after they were lifted his project would be approved. trump didn't end the talks for it,he lied again about it, it was putin.

[DeminPennswoods]

31. In Craig Unger's book "House of Putin, House of Trump"

he points out that the Russian oligarchs who were buying Trump properties were interested in moving their money OUT of Russia. They weren't interested in keeping it IN Russia and therefore had no interest in financing any Trump project. Sometimes a reason is just that simple.

[Johnny2X2X]

32. It didn't end

Just postponed. When Trump is no longer her president this deal will continue. It’s entirely impossible for Trump to walk away from money.