Illegal foreign donations: Trump faces fresh probe
Did money flow in from West Asian donors?
WASHINGTON: Federal investigators are looking into money raised and spent by US President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee and a political body set up to support his campaign from the outside, and whether foreigners had contributed to them.
The inaugural committee had raised a record $107 million and the outside body, Rebuilding American Now, a political action committee (super PAC), allowed under US election laws to raise unlimited amounts of money to sore up a campaign from the outside, collected $23 million.
Investigations into their receipts and expenses add to a growing list of probes into Trump’s campaign that has been dogged by allegations of Russian meddling to paying off women who claimed to have had affairs with him.
Asked about the inauguration committee funding, a White House spokesperson told reporters the US president had “nothing” to do with it.
Investigators have asked witnesses, according to news reports, if contributions to the inaugural committee and the PAC came from foreigners - primarily from West Asian nations Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia - essentially to buy political influence.
Foreign nationals are not allowed to make contributions to candidates or parties for US presidential campaigns.
Fund-raising for both the inaugural committee and the PAC was spearheaded by Tom Barrack, a real estate businessman and long-time friend of Trump.
His spokesman has denied having received any funds from foreign donors.
“Tom has never talked with any foreign individual or entity for the purpose of raising money for or obtaining donations related to either the campaign, the inauguration or any such political activity,” Owen Blicksilver told The New York Times.
The role of the inauguration committee was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said investigators were looking at its expenses and whether they were misspent.
SENATE DELIVERS DOUBLE REBUKE
In back-to-back votes against Saudi Arabia, the Senate delivered an unusual rebuke of Trump’s response to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and signalled new scepticism from Capitol Hill towards the longtime West Asian ally.
Although the resolutions are largely symbolic - because it’s unclear if they will be considered by the House - their passage on Thursday showed that Senators are seeking to assert oversight of the Trump administration’s foreign policy and the relationship with Saudi Arabia. It marked the collapse of Trump’s effort in the Senate to contain the fallout from the gruesome killing.
One measure recommended that the US end its assistance to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen. The other put the blame for the death of Khashoggi squarely on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Both had been vigorously opposed by the Trump administration, threated with potential presidential veto, and the top brass was in Capitol Hill ahead of voting to prevent further action in the House.