The chair of former US President Donald Trump's 2017 inaugural committee was arrested Tuesday on charges alleging he secretly conspired to influence US policy to benefit the United Arab Emirates, even while he was seeking a position as an American diplomat.
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Tom Barrack, 74, was among three men charged in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, with acting as unregistered foreign agents as they tried to influence US policy on the UAE's behalf while Trump was running in 2016 and later while he was president.
The indictment goes to the heart of the US' longtime close relationship with the UAE and directly ties its de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to Barrack's charges.
Besides conspiracy, Barrack was charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 2019 interview with federal agents. Also charged in a seven-count indictment were Matthew Grimes, 27, of Aspen, Colorado, who is a former executive at Barrack's company, and Rashid al Malik, 43, a businessman from the United Arab Emirates who prosecutors said acted as a conduit to that nation's rulers.
