Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, who attended President Trump’s inauguration in 2017, was questioned by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team concerning payments to Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, a new report says.
According to an executive summary released Tuesday by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, Cohen received approximately $500,000 from Vekselberg and his American cousin, Andrew Intrater. The payments were sent to Cohen from Columbus Nova, the U.S. affiliate of Vekselberg’s company.
Vekselberg was questioned about the transactions, which occurred right after the 2016 election, by Mueller’s team, a source told CNN. Additionally, Vekselberg was pressed on donations he made to Trump’s inaugural fund and campaign contributions made by Intrater, who leads Columbus Nova, other sources said.
It’s uncertain what the payments were for, but Avenatti said the $500,000 was put into the bank account of Essential Consultants, which was established by Cohen to pay Daniels $130,000 just before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump more than a decade ago.
Cohen previously admitted he used his own money to pay Daniels.
Although Rudy Giuliani, who recently became part of Trump’s legal team, disclosed last week Trump had repaid Cohen, Avenatti said Tuesday it was possible some of the money from Vekselberg was used to reimburse Cohen.
“After significant investigation, we have discovered that Mr. Trump’s atty Mr. Cohen received approximately $500,000 in the mos. after the election from a company controlled by a Russian Oligarc [sic.] with close ties to Mr. Putin. These monies may have reimbursed the $130k payment,” Avenatti tweeted Tuesday.
But Columbus Nova pushed back on Avenatti’s assertion, saying Vekselberg did not funnel money to Cohen through Columbus Nova.
“Columbus Nova is a management company solely owned and controlled by Americans. After the inauguration, the firm hired Michael Cohen as a business consultant regarding potential sources of capital and potential investments in real estate and other ventures,” Columbus Nova’s attorney Richard Owens said in a statement Tuesday.
“Reports today that Viktor Vekselberg used Columbus Nova as a conduit for payments to Michael Cohen are false. The claim that Viktor Vekselberg was involved or provided any funding for Columbus Nova’s engagement of Michael Coehn is patently untrue. Neither Viktor Vekselberg nor anyone else other than Columbus Nova’s owners, were involved in the decision to hire Cohen or provided funding for his engagement,” Owens continued.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming the nondisclosure arrangement she agreed to should be nullified because Trump didn’t sign it, and has sued Cohen and Trump for defamation.
Earlier in 2017, Vekselberg’s electronic devices were searched and he was questioned after federal agents on Mueller’s team stopped him at a New York-area airport, per the New York Times.
Vekselberg was also one of 17 Russian officials who was hit with sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department in April. These sanctions froze U.S. assets and barred dealings with Americans or U.S entities.
Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin.
