Trump denies working on Moscow real estate project

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday denied working on a Trump Organization real estate project in Moscow, which his former lawyer Michael Cohen said they had pursued until June 2016, during the presidential campaign.

Cohen pleaded guilty on Thursday to making false statements to Congress regarding the project, putting fresh pressure on the president.

Trump attacked his former lawyer, calling him a weak person and accusing Cohen of lying about the real estate project to try to obtain a reduced sentence from prosecutors.

Trump told reporters outside the White House he had decided not to build the building in Moscow, although he did not specify when he decided against pursuing the project.

The president has sought to distance himself from Cohen despite their long relationship. Cohen testified in August that Trump had directed him to commit a crime by arranging payments to silence two women before the 2016 election who said they had affairs with Trump. The president has denied having affairs with the women.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; writing by Makini Brice; editing by Jonathan Oatis)