BREAKING: Trump Ally Arrested On Federal Charges In Los Angeles

Thomas Barrack, a billionaire businessman who is a close friend of former President Donald Trump, was arrested Tuesday morning on federal charges in Los Angeles related to allegations that he violated foreign lobbying laws and lied to federal investigators.

Barrack and two other individuals were arrested on foreign lobbying charges related to his dealings with the United Arab Emirates. The charges do not appear to be related to Barrack’s role as chairman of Trump’s 2017 inaugural fund.

The DOJ said in a statement:

A seven-count indictment was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging Thomas Joseph Barrack, Matthew Grimes, and Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, also known as “Rashid Al Malik” and “Rashid Al‑Malik,” a citizen of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with acting and conspiring to act as agents of the UAE between April 2016 and April 2018.  The indictment charges conduct relating to the defendants’ unlawful efforts to advance the interests of the UAE in the United States at the direction of senior UAE officials by influencing the foreign policy positions of the campaign of a candidate (the “Candidate”) in the 2016 United States Presidential Election (the “Campaign”) and, subsequently, the foreign policy positions of the United States government in the incoming administration, as well as seeking to influence public opinion in favor of UAE interests.  The indictment also charges Barrack with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a June 20, 2019 interview with federal law enforcement agents.

Barrack, who also served as an informal advisor to Trump’s 2016 campaign, allegedly began informally advising the U.S. federal government in January 2017 on issues related to U.S. policy in the region and sought to advance the interests of the UAE.

This is a breaking news story, refresh the page for updates.

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