Mueller probed rumored existence of ‘compromising tapes’ against Trump

Donald Trump

The rumored existence of compromising tapes the Kremlin had of President Trump – including the infamous alleged “pee tape” – was cited in a single footnote in the redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

According to the report, the president’s former personal attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen received a text on Oct. 30, 2016, from a US-based Russian businessman Giorgi Rtskhiladze.

“Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there’s anything else. Just so you know…,” wrote Rtskhiladze, who was involved in a deal with the Trump Organization to building a tower in Batumi, Georgia.

Last year, Rtskhiladze told Mueller that “tapes” referred to “compromising tapes of Trump rumored to be held by persons associated with the Russian real estate conglomerate Crocus Group,” which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Russia, according to the report. Trump owned the pageant for years.

Cohen told the special counsel’s investigators that he spoke to the president “about the issue” after receiving Rtskhiladze’s text.

Former FBI Director James Comey and other top intelligence officials later presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him that were included in a dossier prepared by former British spy Christopher Steele, which CNN has reported took place in January 2017.

BuzzFeed News published the unverified dossier that included the infamous claim that Russian officials had evidence of Trump watching prostitutes urinate in a hotel suite.

But there is no indication that such a tape exists and the president has vehemently denied it.

Rtskhiladze also told prosecutors that he was told the tapes were fake, but that he didn’t communicate that to Cohen.

Scott Balber, a lawyer for Crocus Group founder Aras Agalarov, said the allegation is “total nonsense, adding that the development group has no compromising tapes, according to CNN.

Trump has slammed the 35-page dossier as a political document paid for by Hillary Clinton. Russian President Vladimir Putin also has denied having compromising material about Trump.

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