Los Angeles
Divided loyalties: Tom Barrack, a longtime close associate of former President Trump, was arrested this week and charged with leveraging his relationship with Trump for the benefit of the United Arab Emirates. The chair of Trump’s
2017 inaugural committee, Barrack, 74, faces seven charges, including failing to register as a foreign agent and lying to the FBI. Barrack denied wrongdoing. Federal prosecutors say he asked Emirati contacts for a “wish list” of U.S. foreign policy moves and inserted pro-UAE language into a Trump speech. The indictment says Barrack worked directly with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and had a dedicated cellphone to communicate with the UAE, once referring to the UAE in a text as “the home team.” Barrack’s firm, Colony Capital, received about
$1.5 billion in 2016 from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors called Barrack a serious flight risk, citing his wealth and ties to the UAE and Lebanon.