On witness stand, Trump ally denies foreign influence charge

A close ally of former President Donald Trump took the witness stand at his federal trial Monday to refute charges he secretly fed confidential information about Trump’s administration to the United Arab Emirates to advance the UAE's foreign policy and business interests.

Tom Barrack, the onetime chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, told a New York City jury that it would have been “impossible” for him to act as a foreign agent for one Middle East investor in his private equity fund because other investors would object to it. Barrack said there’s an intense vetting process to assure that money managers don’t have such conflicts of interest.

Investors “want to know that nobody has an edge, that they’re all equal,” he said. Otherwise, “It would chill every other investor,” he added.

Barrack, 75, is accused of using his “unique access” as a longtime friend of Trump to manipulate the Republican at the direction of the UAE. Prosecutors say that while UAE officials were consorting with Barrack, they were rewarding him by pouring millions of dollars into his business ventures.

Barrack has pleaded not guilty to acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. His lawyers have denied he did anything underhanded.

The Los Angeles-based billionaire has known Trump going back decades, since their days developing real estate. Barrack played an integral role in the 2016 campaign as a top fundraiser at a time when many other Republicans were shunning the upstart candidate before directing Trump’s inauguration.

The government rested its foreign influence case last week. Much of the evidence focused on emails and other back-channel communications between Barrack and his high-level contacts in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors say those communications show how Barrack and his foreign contacts strategized over how to win over Trump.

The defendant suggested on Monday that there was nothing nefarious about his constant contact with UAE leaders while Trump was running for and taking office. The interactions would have been a normal part of doing business with any country or government partnering with him in high-end real estate deals using state-owned investment funds, he said.

The explanation came after Barrack described his rise to a high-finance heavyweight from humble beginnings in Southern California as the son of a small grocery store owner of Lebanese descent. With his background, the Arabic speaker said he developed a cultural “sixth sense” for building relationships with Middle East clients.

Before being indicted, Barrack drew attention by raising $107 million for the former president’s inaugural celebration following the 2016 election. The event was scrutinized both for its lavish spending and for attracting foreign officials and businesspeople looking to lobby the new administration