Cohen falsely claimed in 2017 that Trump Org had no recent activity in Russia

President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen falsely claimed in an interview last year that none of Trump’s confidantes were in contact with Russia during the campaign, omitting his own work with Russia on behalf of the Trump Organization.

In a January 2017 radio interview on The Sean Hannity Show reported by CNN on Tuesday, Cohen responded “no” when asked by Hannity whether anyone “within the campaign or around Donald Trump” had spoken to “anybody in Russia.”

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“There’s no relationship,” Cohen responded. “The last time that there was any activity between the Trump Organization — actually, wasn’t even really the Trump Organization, it was the Miss Universe pageant, it was held in Moscow.”

But later in 2017, CNN reported that Cohen was involved in an effort on behalf of the Trump Organization to pursue the construction of a Trump-branded tower in Russia, including a hotel with a spa to be named after Ivanka Trump. The project was later scrapped.

Before the project was terminated, Cohen sent emails seeking Kremlin assistance in building the tower, according to CNN. Those emails took place at least in part during Trump’s successful 2016 run for president.

Cohen did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the omission.

The New York-based attorney is under investigation for bank fraud. Last month, Cohen’s home and office were raided by FBI agents working off of a referral from Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Cohen and Trump have both denounced the FBI raid and investigation as a breach of attorney-client privilege, and deny any wrongdoing.