User:X1\/Broidy

from history of Links between Trump associates and Russian officials
"Broidy is under an investigation launched by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine for Broidy's June 12, 2014, deal to provide political support for VTB Bank and Investment Capital Ukraine (ICU), which acts as a financial advisor to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. Broidy was to receive five payments of $2.5 million each through the British Virgin Islands firm with a Dubai address, Quillas Equities SA, which has Yuri Soloviev as a large shareholder according to the Panama Papers. Yuri Soloviev is a member of the management board for VTB and is the first deputy president and chairman of its management board. Yuri Soloviev's Quillas Equities has accounts in the Swiss Pictet Bank through which money transfers often occur to the VTB owned bank in Cyprus, RCB Cyprus."

"Later, in 2016 Broidy served as a vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee between the Donald Trump campaign and the RNC. In addition, he served as a vice chairman of Trump's Presidential Inaugural Committee. In April 2017 Broidy was named a national deputy finance chairmen of the RNC." "During October 2017, Broidy had a private meeting with U.S. president Donald Trump, in which Broidy praised a paramilitary force his company Circinus was creating."

"On April 13, 2018, The Wall Street Journal reported that Broidy had a sexual relationship with the Playboy Playmate Shera Bechard, resulting in a pregnancy in late 2017. The model later had an abortion. Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen negotiated for Broidy to pay $1.6 million for the woman's silence. The settlement was falsely characterized at the time as a personal injury settlement.  In response to the Journal article, Broidy issued a statement acknowledging that he had had a 'consensual relationship with a Playboy Playmate', that Cohen had contacted him after being approached by the woman's attorney, Keith M. Davidson, and that Broidy had then hired Cohen to work out a non-disclosure agreement. Broidy resigned his post at the RNC the same day the article appeared. A few days later Cohen confirmed in court that Broidy was one of the three clients he had given legal advice to in the previous year. Some columnists have since speculated that Donald Trump was really the person who had the affair with Bechard. Broidy's lawyer, Chris Clark, stated that Broidy will withhold forthcoming payments to Bechard due to an alleged breach of the non-disclosure agreement on her part. On July 6, 2018, Bechard filed a lawsuit against Broidy and the attorney Michael Avenatti, in relation to the cessation of the settlement payments. Bechard has alleged in a complaint that Broidy was physically, sexually, and emotionally abusive of her, and that he exposed her to herpes. Broidy has denied the allegations. On September 7, 2018, California Superior Court Judge Elizabeth White granted Broidy's request to strike allegations from the case going forward that were not relevant to the breach-of-contract dispute."

"A July 2018 report revealed that Broidy had paid Rick Gates, Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, at least $125,000 for “advice and business insight.” Gates had been indicted in October 2017 as a result of the probe by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The payments began in March 2017 and went on until at least July."