Ivanka Trump’s Felix Sater problem worsens
It remains to be seen what role, if any, Ivanka Trump may have played in the Trump-Russia conspiracy to rig the election. Her father Donald Trump, her brother Donald Trump Jr, and her husband Jared Kushner are probably all going to prison for it. But what about Ivanka herself? Her biggest liability isn’t in the Trump-Russia plot itself, but in the investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances. In that regard, things just got much worse for Ivanka.
The Trump Organization has partnered with a guy named Felix Sater on key real estate deals over the years. There are a few problems with that. For starters, Sater is a convicted Russian mafia money launderer, which raises questions about how the Trump-Sater projects were funded. In addition, Sater is a longtime FBI informant, which has made pretty clear all along that he isn’t willing to take a fall for anyone. Finally, the Trump-Sater deals, Trump Soho in particular, were spearheaded by Ivanka Trump. So why is this suddenly more relevant?
Felix Sater just spent seven hours testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. This is a big deal, because various Senate committees investigating Trump-Russia have been trying to get Sater to testify for the past six months. Now all the sudden he’s cooperating, just as things are starting to get particularly heavy in the Trump-Russia investigation.
Just a few weeks ago, Special Counsel Robert Mueller began subpoenaing the financial records of the Trump Organization. That same day, the wife of Trump Organization president Donald Trump Jr filed for divorce. Now former Trump Organization business partner Felix Sater is suddenly testifying before Congress, after having spent months refusing to do so. It’s Ivanka Trump who has the most to lose here. If Mueller can prove that Ivanka knew Trump Soho was a money laundering front, she’ll end up in prison.
