Michael Cohen met a Russian oligarch in Trump Tower 11 days before Trump’s inauguration

Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal attorney, met with a Russian oligarch in Trump Tower 11 days before Trump’s inauguration.

Cohen and the Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, who is seen as close to the Kremlin, discussed a mutual desire to strengthen Russia’s relationship with the U.S. during the Trump presidency, The New York Times reported Friday. The paper cited Vekselberg’s cousin and business partner, Andrew Intrater, who was also present.

The meeting raises fresh questions about Cohen’s role as Trump’s longtime attorney and “fixer,” and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Cohen was awarded a $1 million consulting contract days after the inauguration by Intrater’s private equity firm, Columbus Nova, the Times said. Vekselberg has long been Columbus Nova’s biggest client.

Vekselberg was questioned about the payments to Cohen earlier this year after being stopped at an airport in the New York City area by investigators working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

Read: Who is Viktor Vekselberg, the Russian oligarch tied to a $500K payment to Michael Cohen

Cohen is currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. The FBI raided his office and hotel room in April after prosecutors received a referral from Mueller’s team.

The meeting between Cohen and Vekselberg in January 2017 was confirmed by CNN, which reported that video from the lobby of Trump Tower shows Vekselberg and Intrater arriving on the afternoon of January 9, some three hours after Trump appeared in the lobby himself.

Twenty-seven minutes after taking the elevator up to Cohen’s office, Vekselberg and Intrater reappeared in the lobby and left the building.

Intrater has denied any wrongdoing.

“Obviously, if I’d known in January 2017 that I was about to hire this high-profile guy who’d wind up in this big mess, I wouldn’t have introduced him to my biggest client, and wouldn’t have hired him at all,” Intrater told the Times.

Columbus Nova has denied that Vekselberg was involved in the decision to pay Cohen. The firm has said Cohen was hired to consult on business matters including real estate. According to CNN, Cohen was ultimately paid $580,000 under the contract.

Intrater's lawyer, Richard Owens, told CNN: "Columbus Nova has cooperated with all requests for documents and information from federal authorities."

Vekselberg was slapped with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in April. At the time, Treasury said it was punishing Russia for its aggressive foreign policy, including subverting foreign democracies.

Cover image: Attorney Michael Cohen talks to a reporters as he walks in New York, Wednesday, April 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)