Trump Ally apos;s Trial To Test Century-old U.S. Law On What Makes...
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| - | By Luc Cohen<br> NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Tom Barrack, the investor and onetime fundraiser for former U | + | By Luc Cohen<br> NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Tom Barrack, the investor and onetime fundraiser for former U.S.<br>President Donald Trump, will go on trial next week in a case that will provide a rare test of a century-old law requiring agents for other countries to notify the government.<br> Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Barrack worked for the United Arab Emirates to influence Trump's campaign and administration between 2016 and 2018 to advance the Middle Eastern country's interests.<br> According to a July 2021 indictment, [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-hr Lawyer Turkey] prosecutors have emails and text messages that show UAE officials gave Barrack input about what to say in television interviews, what then-candidate Trump should say in a 2016 energy policy speech, and who should be appointed ambassador to Abu Dhabi.<br> Prosecutors said neither Barrack, nor his former assistant Matthew Grimes, nor Rashid Al Malik - the person prosecutors identified as an intermediary with UAE officials - told the U.S.<br><br>Attorney General they were acting as UAE agents as required under federal law.<br> Barrack, who chaired Trump's inauguration committee when he took office in January 2017, and Grimes pleaded not guilty. Jury selection in their trial begins on Sept.<br>19. Al Malik is at large.<br> The federal law in question was passed as part of the 1917 Espionage Act to combat resistance to the World War I draft.<br> Known as the 951 law based on its section of the U.S.<br><br>Code, it requires anyone who "agrees to operate within the United States subject to the direction or control of a foreign government" to notify the Attorney General.<br> The law was once mainly used against traditional espionage, but more 951 cases in recent years have - like Barrack's - targeted lobbying and influence operations.<br> But the use of the law in those types of cases has rarely been tested at trial, [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-in Lawyer Turkey] because most have ended in guilty pleas or remain open because the defendants are overseas.<br> KNOWLEDGE AND INTENT<br> Barrack's lawyers have said the U.S.<br><br>State Department, and Trump himself, knew of his contacts with Middle East officials, showing Barrack did not have the intent to be a foreign agent.<br> The lawyers also said Barrack never agreed to represent UAE interests and that his interactions with UAE officials were part of his role running Colony Capital, a private equity firm now known as DigitalBridge Group Inc.<br> But prosecutors have said an agreement to act as an agent "need not be contractual or formalized" to violate section 951.<br> The results of recent 951 trials have been mixed.<br><br>If you loved this article and you would like to acquire far more data pertaining to [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-id Lawyer Turkey] kindly stop by our internet site. In August, [http://www.ozsever.com.tr/component/k2/itemlist/user/285104 Lawyer Turkey] a California jury convicted former Twitter Inc employee Ahmad Abouammo of spying for the Saudi government.<br> In 2019, a Virginia jury convicted Bijan Rafiekian, a former director at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, of acting as a Turkish agent.<br>A judge later overturned that verdict and granted Rafiekian a new trial, saying the evidence suggested he did not intend to be an agent. Prosecutors are appealing that ruling.<br> "What it comes down to is the person's knowledge and intent," said Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor who handled foreign agent cases as Detroit's top federal prosecutor from 2010 to 2017.<br><br>"That's the tricky part."<br> Barrack resigned as DigitalBridge's chief executive in 2020 and as its executive chairman in April 2021. The company did not respond to a request for comment.<br> If convicted of the charge in the 951 law, Barrack and Grimes could face up to 10 years in prison, though any sentence would be determined by a judge based on a range of factors.<br>Convictions on a related conspiracy charge could add five years to their sentences.<br> Barrack potentially faces additional time if convicted on other charges against him.<br> 'SERIOUS SECURITY RISKS'<br> Barrack's trial will focus on allegations that during Trump's presidential transition and the early days of his administration, the UAE and its close ally Saudi Arabia tried to win U.S.<br><br>support for their blockade of Gulf rival Qatar and to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.<br> Prosecutors said Barrack also gave UAE officials nonpublic information about potential appointees to Trump administration posts, [https://documentation.copea.fr/wiki/Turkey_Not_Necessarily_Seeking_Return_To_F-35_Project_-_Defense... Lawyer Turkey] and made false statements to investigators.<br> Barrack's conduct "presented serious security risks," prosecutors said.<br> A UAE official said in a statement the country "respects the sovereignty of states and their laws" and has "enduring ties" with the United States.<br> Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, [https://www.wiklundkurucuk.com/Lawyer-Turkey-pl Lawyer Turkey] a Middle East fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute in Houston, said that while the UAE and Saudi Arabia are U.S.<br><br>security partners, Trump's perceived disregard for traditional government processes may have enticed them to establish back channels to advance their interests.<br> "It was in violation of the norms of international diplomacy," Coates Ulrichsen said.<br>"If it's proven, it was also a case of actual foreign intervention in U.S. politics."<br> (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Ghaida Ghantous and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; Editing by Amy Stevens and Grant McCool)<br> |
