Bloomberg: UAE Royals Said to Direct Tom Barrack’s Influence Campaign
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Bloomberg reveals more information about the UAE's role in directing an official of President Donald Trump's inauguration campaign to achieve its goals.
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American billionaire Tom Barrack
A new report by Bloomberg revealed that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and other Emirati officials led an illegal influence campaign on the administration of former US President Donald Trump.
Tom Barrack, an American billionaire, was greeted royally in the United Arab Emirates just weeks after Donald Trump's election in November 2016, according to the same report.
Prosecutors in court papers described how Barrack also provided inside information on how Trump administration officials viewed a UAE-led blockade of neighboring Qatar.
Furthermore, Bloomberg reported US prosecutors divulged that the meeting was part of a covert effort to influence the foreign policy positions of the Trump campaign and incoming administration, as well as to increase the Gulf State's political clout.
In July, Barrack was charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the UAE. He has pleaded not guilty.
Bloomberg went on to say that US Prosecutors have claimed that Barrack and two co-defendants were “tasked” in 2016 with advocating for the country's interests with the United States.
Barrack supported Trump from the launch of his campaign, frequently going to bat for him in front of television interviewers. Meanwhile, the Emiratis had bet early on Barrack, whose friendship with Trump spanned decades; prosecutors claim that they began asking Barrack to work on their behalf during the presidential campaign, according to Bloomberg.
The same report added that Barrack assisted the Emiratis on multiple fronts. According to the indictment, he assisted in arranging a White House meeting with the president and pushed the UAE's preferred candidates for positions in the new administration.
