Interview · moment 8 of 14
How Sater's Cooperation Deal Came to Light
from Boss of Bosses (with Russ Baker) · #38
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
4 minGuest
Explanation of how a Bayrock employee stumbled on Sater's sealed FBI cooperation documents, hired attorney Fred Oberlander, and how the government used a rare "hyper injunction" to bar the lawyers from even informing Congress.
- 26:08Trump's name on buildings is mostly a licensing deal—he receives fees and sometimes equity, but isn't actually constructing or managing the projects himself.
- 26:43Many of Bayrock's projects that Felix Seder promoted around the world never made money, yet the people involved lived well—raising questions about money laundering.
- 27:15Seder couldn't have entered these deals as a convicted felon, so the government sealed his criminal record to allow him to conduct business.
- 28:09Seder held 63% of Bayrock despite being masked as just one guy among many, and Trump clearly knew he was the real operator behind the scenes.
- 28:35The government's interest in letting Seder continue earning money after flipping was likely to keep him functional as an informant, similar to how the mafia lets cooperators stay in the game.
- 29:07Seder changed the spelling of his name from Sater to Satter so word searches wouldn't connect him to his criminal past.
- 29:17During his period as an informant, Seder and Trump became close enough to travel to Moscow together looking for business opportunities, bringing Donald Jr. and Ivanka along.
- 29:44Donald Jr. stated in an interview that most of the Trump Organization's money was coming from Russia.
Donald TrumpFelix SederDonald Jr.BayrockIvankaWoody Bulger