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Trump and the Russians
What you are seeing is exactly what it appears to be; President Trump’s association and cultivation of colorful ex-patriots of the former Soviet Republic, all connected to the Mafia, is a rich portrait of a man unwilling to play by the rules. Now that he has refused to concede his loss to President elect Biden, many Americans might find it useful to recap three critical connections to the Trump Organization.
Tamir Sapir
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union on December 26, 1991, many wealthy Russians traveled to New York City seeking to launder and protect the plunder of their newly privatized state assets. For many of these men, the first stop was the real estate office of Tamir Sapir, an Israeli emigre born in the Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Sapir immigrated to the United States in the 1970s, first living in Louisville, Kentucky, before moving to New York City where he settled down and started driving a cab. A few years later, Sapir borrowed $10,000 against his taxi cab medallion and purchased an electronic supply store on Broadway with Sam Kislin.
The shop, Joy-Lud Electronics Inc., wasn’t far from the United Nations Headquarters on the East River and Sapir’s regular contact with Russian diplomats visiting the UN was a key element to his future success. Many of his products, especially VCRs and tape recorders…
