Collusion Investigation Between Trump Campaign And Russia Has OC Ties
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The investigation into possible collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia has taken a Southern California twist.
CBS2 has learned the eighth person present at Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting was a businessman from Huntington Beach.
There was no answer Tuesday at Ike Kavaladze's Huntington Beach home. According to property records, the Russian-American businessman bought a luxury condominium there in 2015 for $870,000.
A next-door neighbor recognized his Facebook picture and said he is often home, but declined to speak to CBS2's Randy Paige on camera.
Kavaladze was identified by an attorney representing Russian developer Aras Agalarov as the eighth person at a meeting in June of 2016 with Trump Jr., then campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, a Russian attorney and interpreter. In 2016 Trump Jr. received an email from a Russian associate asking for a meeting to provide "the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary" the email went on to say "this is obviously very high-level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Trump."
A video from CNN shows Kavaldeze with Donald Trump in Las Vegas in 2013.
According to Kavaladze's LinkedIn profile, the Russian-American business executive serves as vice president of the Crocus Group in Moscow. The company president, Agalarov is a billionaire developer with ties to Russian President Vladamir Putin.
The Washington Post reports Kavaldze was part of a Russian money-laundering investigation in 2000 after he opened more than 200 bank accounts for Russian brokers.