President Donald Trump once wrote a letter inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, The Washington Post reported.
Trump, who owned the pageant, wrote the note at a time when he was looking to expand his brand to Russia — and it's now in the hands of special counsel Robert Mueller, who's investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.
According to the Post, which reported that the letter was described by unnamed sources, Trump added a postscript at the bottom of the typed letter, saying he looked forward to seeing "beautiful" women during his trip.
It's not clear if the letter was sent, or, if Putin got it, if the Russian leader responded.
"It's all nonsense," John Dowd, a lawyer for the president, told the Post, telling the outlet he wasn't familiar with the letter.
A White House spokesman and attorneys for the Trump Organization declined to comment to the Post.
The Post noted that Trump made no secret of his hope that Putin would attend the Miss Universe pageant in its debut in Russia.
He tweeted on June 18, 2013:
His letter to Putin was written that month, the article explained.
Though Trump was eager for Putin to attend the event, the Russian president canceled a planned appearance at the last minute, Moscow developer Aras Agalarov told the Post in 2016.
"That was a very complicated situation then, because I promised Trump he would meet Putin," Agalarov told the Post in the 2016 interview.
Instead, Putin sent a "friendly" letter and a gift of a Russian lacquered box, he said. "So he was leaving with very warm feelings," Agalarov explained. "He was very happy."
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