Tom Barrack, an ally of former President Donald Trump, will take the stand as defense in his own trial next week, where he stands accused of being a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates without notifying the attorney general.
Barrack, a U.S. citizen who had business dealings in the UAE, has denied all allegations of working on behalf of a foreign government to curry favor for the country in the United States.
FORMER TRUMP TREASURY SECRETARY TO TAKE STAND AT BARRACK’S FOREIGN AGENT TRIAL
During the trial, prosecutors showed the court hundreds of emails and text messages among Barrack, his former assistant Matthew Grimes, and an Emirati businessman named Rashid Al Malik, who prosecutors described as an intermediary between them and Emirati officials, according to CBS News. The emails and texts allegedly showed the government coaching Barrack on what to say.
However, lawyers for Barrack argued that the messages were directly related to the work Barrack was doing with his private equity company Colony Capital, now called DigitalBridge Group Inc. Prosecution rested its case on Wednesday.
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testified in Barrack’s defense Thursday, claiming Barrack once advocated for Qatar during a foreign policy crisis despite the Middle Eastern country being an adversary of the UAE.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also testified in Barrack’s defense on Oct. 3, making him the first former Trump administration official to testify in the case. Tillerson drew from his expertise in international affairs and his work with Barrack during the early years of the Trump administration. In his testimony, Tillerson stated that he was unaware of Barrack’s role in U.S. foreign policy with the Middle East.
Barrack has previously claimed that if he did act as a foreign agent, it was not intentional.
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Federal law states that U.S. citizens must notify the attorney general if they “agree to operate within the United States subject to the direction or control of a foreign government,” according to Section 951 of the 1917 Espionage Act. Although the law was initially used for traditional espionage, courts have expanded the portion to cover influence or lobbying endeavors.
If convicted, Barrack could be sentenced to up to 10 years for the foreign agent crime, and he faces another five-year sentence due to a conspiracy charge. Grimes also faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, but Malik is still at large.
