Corruption probe into Republican donor Elliott Broidy accused of exploiting links with Trump

An investigation has been launched into whether one of the top executives on Donald Trump’s inauguration committee used his role to secure foreign business deals, according to a new report.

Federal prosecutors are probing Elliott Broidy, the vice chair of the president’s 2017 inaugural committee, for possibly violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 law barring US citizens from conducting bribes with foreign officials.

Documents obtained by the Associated Press show that a federal grand jury in New York are reportedly looking into whether Mr Broidy exploited his access to the future president “to drum up business deals with foreign leaders.”

The jury issued a sweeping subpoena to Mr Trump’s inaugural committee, seeking documents related to 20 individuals and businesses associated with Mr Broidy, including multiple Romanian politicians and the president of Angola, the AP reported on Monday.

Mr Broidy is a prominent Republican donor and venture capitalist who owns investment and defence contracting firms. He previously served as the deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. His global security firm, Circinus, reportedly reached a major business agreement with Angola in 2016.

Attorneys for Mr Broidy denied the accusations in a statement sent to the AP which specifically noted he never had any exchange of money with “any Romanian government agency, proxy or agent.”

The attorneys also refuted the idea that Circinus’ business agreement with Angola had anything to do with Mr Broidy’s connection to Mr Trump.

“Any implication to the contrary is completely false,” the statement continued.

The newly-reported investigation, launched by the US Attorneys Office in Brooklyn, is seemingly separate from another federal probe into Mr Trump’s inaugural committee led by Manhattan prosecutors.

Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator and 2020 hopeful, and Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut senator, requested a formal investigation by the Justice Department last year into whether Mr Broidy “used access to President Trump as a valuable enticement to foreign officials who may be in a position to advance Mr. Broidy’s business interests abroad.”

Mr Broidy also sparked controversy over his financial dealings when it was reported the president’s former attorney Michael Cohen coordinated a payment to be sent to his alleged mistress, a former Playboy model, who had become pregnant during their affair. He later stepped down from his position at the RNC after the revelations drew national headlines.

The subpoena also seeks records from Mr Broidy’s associate George Nader, who reportedly spoke to Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Nader has since been sentenced to prison in a federal child pornography case.

The AP reported on emails between Angolan officials and Mr Broidy, who extended inauguration invitations to the leaders in exchange for “a multimillion-dollar contract for Circus to provide security services in Angola that Broidy asked be signed ahead of the events.”

Mr Broidy then reportedly scheduled exclusive access for Angolan President Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and his defence minister to Mr Trump during a trip to Mar-A-Lago in 2017, writing to the leaders in an email: “Many preparations have been made in advance of your visit … including additional meetings at the Capitol and the Department of Treasury.”