Trump deals with MBS could be investigated by DOJ, Congress: Newsweek

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Newsweek
17 Jan 2023 14:37
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An organization requests that the DOJ and Congress launch an investigation into Trump's deals with Mohammad bin Salman.

Former US President Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan (AFP)

Former US President Donald Trump may face a fresh legal burden if the Department of Justice (DOJ) decides to probe his business dealings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), Newsweek reported.

According to the magazine, the Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) organization recently requested that the DOJ and Congress launch an investigation against Trump after new LIV Golf funding details revealed that an MBS-led wealth fund owns 93% of the LIV tournament and pays all its costs.

Trump has hosted several LIV Golf tournaments at his properties. DAWN claims that MBS has paid Trump millions in commercial transactions over the past years. The organization has asked for a probe into Trump to ascertain whether the transactions were legitimate. At this moment, no inquiry has begun.

Newsweek cited former Federal Prosecutor Neama Rahmani as saying that for them to be considered unlawful, any transactions between Trump and MBS would have to have occurred during Trump's candidacy or presidency.

If the transactions took place while Trump was not running for office or already President, they would only be considered "unethical", Rahmani noted.

The former Federal Prosecutor explained that election law states unequivocally that a political candidate or official cannot accept anything of value from a foreign government in connection with the election.

"If this happened after he was president and before he was [a 2024] candidate, it is wrong and unethical but not illegal," Rahmani told Newsweek.

According to Rahmani, should an investigation be launched and a violation is recorded, the Federal Election Commission may fine Trump, or the DOJ may rule to criminally prosecute the former US President for his business deals with MBS.

But the former Federal Prosecutor considered that other investigations against Trump such as the January 6 Capitol riots or the mishandling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida are "far more serious" grounds for prosecution than his involvement with LIV Golf.

Newsweek quoted Michael McAuliffe, former federal prosecutor and elected state attorney, as saying that US voters may consider Trump's involvement with MBS before deciding whether to vote for him in the coming presidential race in 2024.