Thanks to the Senate Intelligence Committee, we now know that President Donald Trump has had a major man crush on Russian leader Vladimir Putin for over a decade. He’s even been sending him mash letters as far back as 2007, HuffPost reports:

“The messages do not reveal collusion between Trump and Putin over the 2016 election. The links between his campaign and Moscow were detailed elsewhere in the report. But they do show Trump repeatedly flattering Putin, including one letter congratulating the strongman on being named Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ in 2007.

“Trump told Putin: ‘You definitely deserve it.’ He added: ‘I am a big fan of yours!'”

 

Six years later, in 2013, Trump once again wrote Putin — this time with a series of letters — inviting him to attend the Miss Universe pageant, which was held in Moscow that year. Trump all but begged the Russian autocrat to be his “Guest of Honor” at the event:

Putin eventually wrote back to Trump, saying he would be unable to attend the pageant.

The president’s comments on his relationship with Putin have shifted considerably over the years:

As with most things Trump says, there’s more than a bit of fabrication in each of those statements, and thanks to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, we know that Trump tried for years to hammer out a deal for construction of a Trump Tower in Moscow. The president initially lied about such a deal, but Cohen told congressional investigators last year:

“He lied about it because he never expected to win.”

Trump also lied about it because that’s what he always does. He lies about everything. But in this case, the letters prove he’s been courting Putin for over a decade.

Featured Image Via NBC News