Just Politics

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Trump ally goes on trial for 'espionage lite' and obstruction
CNN Digital Expansion 2019, Kara Scannell
By Kara Scannell, CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/19/politics/tom-barrack-trump-trial-united-arab-emirates/index.html
Updated 5:07 AM ET, Mon September 19, 2022

at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 21, 2016.
Tom Barrack speaks during the Republican National Convention

Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a former Donald Trump adviser whom authorities allege was involved in a two-year effort to try to influence the policy decisions of the Trump campaign and administration to benefit the United Arab Emirates.

Tom Barrack, a wealthy businessman who served as the chair of Trump's Presidential Inaugural Committee and an adviser to his campaign, was indicted last year along with his assistant Matthew Grimes and an Emirati official for allegedly acting as a secret backchannel for the Gulf nation.

READ: Indictment of Tom Barrack in foreign lobbying case

Barrack and Grimes allegedly conspired to capitalize on Barrack's close relationship to Trump by promoting the UAE's interests through media interviews, advocating for a candidate preferred by the UAE to serve as US ambassador to the country, helping UAE officials in their dealings with the White House, and by pushing back against a proposed summit at Camp David to resolve a dispute involving Qatar and Gulf states. The summit never happened.
Barrack and Grimes have pleaded not guilty and deny any wrongdoing.
The Emirati, Rashid Al Malik, fled the US in April 2018, three days after he was interviewed by the FBI. He remains at large.
The trial is expected to challenge the US government's use of the foreign agent statute and comes as the Justice Department has ramped up its prosecution of undisclosed foreign lobbying and related activities.
Barrack and Grimes were charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of acting as foreign agents without notifying the Justice Department, under section 951 of the criminal code, which national security officials have called "espionage lite." They face a maximum of 10 years in prison, if convicted.
Barrack was also charged with obstructing the grand jury investigation and six counts of making false statements during an interview with the FBI in June 2019. The obstruction charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.............