Donald Trump’s golf courses ‘paid for using Russian money’
Donald Trump’s range of golf courses were funded by Russian money, according to an author.
Golf writer James Dodson made the claims while recounting a meeting with the President and his son, Eric Trump.
Dodson said that Donald Trump claimed to have access to $100m during the meeting, that took place at the Trump National Golf Club Charlotte in North Carolina in 2014.
He told Boston radio station WBUR-FM: “Trump was strutting up and down, talking to his new members about how they were part of the greatest club in North Carolina.
“And when I first met him, I asked him… you know, this is the journalist in me… I said, ‘What are you using to pay for these courses?’ And he just sort of tossed off that he had access to $100m.”
Dodson went on: “So when I got in the cart with Eric, as we were setting off [to play], I said, ‘Eric, who’s funding? I know no banks – because of the recession, the great recession – have touched a golf course.
“You know, no one’s funding any kind of golf construction. It’s dead in the water the last four or five years.’
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“And this is what he said. He said, ‘Well, we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.’
“I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Oh, yeah. We’ve got some guys that really, really love golf, and they’re really invested in our programs. We just go there all the time.’
“Now that was three years ago, so it was pretty interesting.”
Donald Trump has consistently denied having links to Russia despite the FBI launching an investigation into possible links between Trump campaign aides and Russian agents during the 2016 election.
US intelligence agencies believe Russia tried to rig the vote to ensure Trump would win.
However, the President tweeted shortly before his inauguration: “Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA – NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!”
Top pic: Rex
