NEW YORK — In the early days of the Trump administration, billionaire Thomas Barrack was poised to be an unofficial channel between the White House and the United Arab Emirates, a place where the Los Angeles-based investor had business interests and geopolitical acumen.
Barrack was a longtime friend of Donald Trump’s who headed his presidential inauguration committee and was a member of his national security advisory council during the 2016 campaign. He made trips to the White House and offered himself as an expert in the Persian Gulf region eager to make introductions to President Trump and his staff, according to evidence introduced at his ongoing criminal trial.
Federal prosecutors at U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, however, have said the Colony Capital founder and an associate, Matthew Grimes — who is also on trial and is accused of aiding Barrack’s efforts — were using their access to the president to promote the agenda of the UAE government and to enrich themselves by using their favor in the UAE to make money.
Prosecutors spent several weeks presenting their arguments against Barrack and Grimes before resting their case Wednesday. They relied heavily on dozens of text messages and emails that they argue amount to Barrack taking marching orders from officials in the UAE.
In some cases, UAE officials sent talking points that Barrack apparently worked into comments he made in national TV interviews and in news publications, according to prosecutors.
Barrack, 75, who has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing, is among several Trump insiders who have been investigated for alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Under federal law, advocates of foreign nations operating in the United States must disclose the nature of their work to the attorney general.
In recent years, former Trump consultants Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were convicted of acting as agents of Ukraine without registering and Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, admitted to violating FARA during his dealings with Turkey. Rudy Giuliani, a Trump advocate who aggressively pushed his false election-fraud claims in 2020, was also the subject of a FARA investigation over his contacts in Ukraine.
The Barrack trial has at times been a walk-through of the early days of Trump’s presidency. In some communications, there are mentions of Manafort, former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon and other campaign and White House officials.
Former secretary of state Rex Tillerson was a witness for the government. On direct examination, he confirmed that Barrack did not have an official foreign relations role in the Trump administration, although he called Tillerson at the State Department and floated the idea of an ambassador position. The idea fizzled out after Tillerson mentioned it to Trump, Tillerson said.
Tillerson’s testimony could help to support the prosecution’s assertion that Barrack was gaming his access to the highest ranks of the U.S. government to bolster his credibility with UAE government officials and business executives.
Steven Mnuchin, who was treasury secretary under Trump, was set to be called as a defense witness, a prosecutor mentioned in court Wednesday outside the jury’s presence. It was not immediately clear when Mnuchin would be called or whether the scope of his testimony would be limited by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan.
At Barrack’s trial, jurors heard testimony about conversations and saw communications among Barrack, Grimes and a Rashid al-Malik, an Emirati living in Los Angeles who was also indicted in the case but fled the country after being interviewed by the FBI.
Grimes was allegedly a frequent go-between bridging Malik, who had access to UAE officials, and Barrack. Grimes and Malik were texting frequently on WhatsApp and iMessage throughout the time of the alleged crimes, government exhibits at the trial show.
The texts reveal what had apparently become a close relationship. At times, Grimes called Malik his “best friend” and remarked that he missed him when time passed between their chats.
Malik was the main channel from the Emiratis to Barrack and Grimes, 29, who routinely facilitated dealings for Barrack, his boss at the investment firm, according to prosecutors. Grimes also denies wrongdoing, and his attorney has sought to downplay any decision-making ability Grimes had under Barrack.
“For two years, these two men met with, took direction from and acted in the interests of the UAE and its national security officials,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hiral Mehta argued in his opening statement last month, referring to the defendants.
Barrack and Grimes “partnered with [Malik], who was secretly operating in the United States on behalf of the UAE government” and “acted as the eyes, ears and voice of the UAE” over the years of the charged crimes, Mehta said.
Barrack faces up to 20 years in prison on a count of obstruction of justice. He is also charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government, conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and making materially false statements. Grimes faces up to a decade in prison on the top count he faces, acting as an agent of the UAE.
The first defense witness on Wednesday was Bernard Haykel, a Princeton University professor with expertise on politics and prominent figures in the Middle East.
Several defense witnesses are expected to be called to illustrate the claim that Barrack, who has a Lebanese background, was trying to be helpful and to facilitate healthy relationships between Middle Eastern allies and the United States and that nothing in their dealings was amiss.
Barrack’s pro-UAE comments at issue in the case were made only because “he wanted to and because he believed it was the right thing to do for his business, for his work, for his shareholders, and for America,” Barrack’s lawyer, Michael Schachter, said in opening remarks at the start of the trial.
Grimes was a vice president at Colony Capital who started there as an 18-year-old intern and continued working for Barrack after college. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, has described Grimes as a more junior employee than his title conveyed, suggesting he did what he was told by Barrack.
“Matthew started almost every day getting Mr. Barrack’s coffee or smoothies,” Lowell argued in opening statements.
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https://digitalalaskanews.com/government-rests-in-foreign-agent-case-against-trump-friend-barrack/
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