President Donald Trump again firmly denied Thursday that he has any financial links to Russia.
In an exclusive NBC News interview, Trump said he had a private law firm send a letter to Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asserting that he has "nothing to do with Russia." The president has repeatedly fought the assertion that he or people close to him have ties to the country amid probes into Moscow's interference, reported by U.S. intelligence services, in the 2016 election.
"I have had dealings over the years where I sold a house to a very wealthy Russian many years ago. I had the Miss Universe pageant — which I owned for quite a while — I had it in Moscow a long time ago. But other than that, I have nothing to do with Russia," Trump said.
Trump specifically said he has no investments or loans in or from Russia.
Earlier this week, Graham, who chairs a subcommittee investigating alleged Russian interference, said he was curious to see more about Trump's business ties.
Many Democrats have demanded to see Trump's tax returns so as to better assess his potential financial conflicts of interest around the world. Trump bucked decades of precedent among presidential nominees by not releasing his tax returns as a candidate, ostensibly because he is being audited by the revenue agency.