Big criminal pending for a very close ally of Trump. Tom Barrack’s deal making seems to have benefitted the UAE, and possibly benefitted both Trump and Barrack.
This
story posted from Bloomberg with this headline:
“Tom
Barrack Case Involves Classified Materials, lawyers say”
(Bloomberg) – The
criminal case against Tom Barrack, the U.S. businessman accused of acting as an
unregistered agent of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), involves national
security information, court filings show in the case.
The case is: USA v Al Malik Alshahhi et al, 1:21-cr-00371, U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).
Prosecutors didn’t spell out the nature of the secret data,
but said the case will involve the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA).
Judges use CIPA to prevent the unnecessary disclosure of
classified information, while weighing the national security cost of such a
disclosure.
Mark Lytle, a former
federal prosecutor not involved in the case said: “It’s difficult to
discern what aspect of any particular case is classified because it’s always
heard in a sealed courtroom, out of the reach of the public. What’s always at
play is the government’s interest in protecting classified information versus
the defendant’s right to seek the use of that information in their defense.”
Barrack, a longtime
friend of former Trump, is accused of: (1) taking direction from senior UAE
officials, (2) unlawfully seeking to influence U.S. foreign policy positions
with personnel appointments in the Trump 2016 campaign, and (3) with getting personnel appointments
in Trump’s administration.
Barrack has pleaded not
guilty and is free on $250 million bail.
The CIPA disclosure in a government filing was among the
topics discussed at a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Brian Cogan in
Brooklyn.
Matthew Herrington, a
lawyer for Barrack, told the court: “We agree there will be CIPA issues
coming from both sides.”
Note: That seems to
suggest that some classified material could be helpful to the defense.
Barrack, who formerly
ran Colony Capital Inc.,
a real estate and investment firm, helped the Emiratis on several fronts,
according to prosecutors in these areas:
(1) Taking credit for helping arrange a UAE meeting in the White
with Trump.
(2) For blocking a Camp David meeting on the blockade of
Qatar.
(3) For pushing an UAE preferred list of candidates for
positions in the Trump administration.
My 2 Cents: Intriguing case to say the least – the kind of plot fit
for a new movie title maybe like: “Clear and Present Danger, II.”
The key to this whole Barrack legal string of corruption and crimes is this simple Watergate era question: “What did Trump know, and when did he know it?”
Another important question: “Did Trump approve and direct Barrack's operation?”
This is a big case and could depending on the outcome end up with Barrack behind bars and possibly Trump, too.
We shall see. Stay tuned. This will be updated for sure.
Thanks for stopping by.
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