Topline
Thomas Barrack, a real estate investor and former adviser to President Donald Trump, was acquitted Friday on charges of lobbying Trump on behalf of the United Arab Emirates during his 2016 campaign and subsequent presidency.
Barrack, a former advisor to former president Donald Trump, was acquitted on lobbying charges.
រូបភាព Getty
ការពិតសំខាន់
Barrack was acquitted of nine counts, including obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI agents in 2019 after he was ស៊ើបអង្កេត for his connection with Emirati representatives.
Matthew Grimes, one of Barrack’s former assistants, was acquitted of acting as a foreign agent and conspiracy to act as a foreign agent.
Attorneys representing Barrack, who is of Lebanese descent, បានប្រកែក the former adviser pushed for improved relations between the United States and the UAE without “direction or control.”
Prosecutors noted text messages sent between Barrack, Grimes and Emirati national Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, whom prosecutors say acted as a proxy for UAE officials, indicated Barrack received input on how to lobby media and the U.S. government in favor of the Emirates.
តង់ហ្សង់។
Other Trump allies have been convicted in recent criminal trials, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who was convicted in July of contempt of Congress. Ryan Stone, a longtime adviser, was pardoned by Trump in 2019 after he was convicted of lying under oath. Michael Flynn, a former White House National Security Advisor, was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after he was charged and ទទួលទោស to lying to the FBI about his ties to the Russian government.
អ្វីដែលយើងមិនដឹង
Though he was charged alongside Barrack and Grimes, Alshahhi’s whereabouts are still unknown after he left the U.S. days after law enforcement agents interviewed him in 2018.
ហេតុការណ៍គួរឱ្យភ្ញាក់ផ្អើល
Members of the jury បានប្រាប់ Judge Brian Cogan that they “feel the government is staring at them and they’re getting a little uncomfortable” as the trial reached its end. Cogan later added the government’s arguments against Barrack were “right on the line of impermissible interference.”
សាវតាសំខាន់
Barrack, the founder of Colony Capital, is a longtime Trump friend who fundraised his campaign and lauded the then-presidential candidate in a speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Trump later ឆ្ងាយ himself from Barrack after prosecutors began investigating his ties to the UAE. Prosecutors alleged Barrack sent a draft of a Trump campaign speech to Alshahhi for feedback before adding in pro-UAE phrasing. They then alleged Barrack told Alshahhi he would “remain on the sidelines” to help the Emirates while advising the former president.
អានបន្ថែម
Trump Ally Thomas Barrack Charged with Illegal Lobbying For UAE Government, Feds Say (ទស្សនាវដ្តី Forbes)
Former Trump Adviser Acquitted On Charges Of Acting As Emirati Agent (កាសែត New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2022/11/04/trump-ally-thomas-barrack-acquitted-on-lobbying-charges/