President Donald Trump chief executive Tom Barrack: I am ‘100% innocent’ in lobbying case

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NEW YORK – The chairman of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 preliminary committee pleaded not guilty Monday and said he was “100% innocent” of charges that he secretly lobbied the U.S. on behalf of the United Arab Emirates .

Tom Barrack, 74, appeared in federal federal court in Brooklyn, days after he was released on $ 250 million bail following his arrest in California. His lawyer entered into his plea for him.

“As you’d expect, the system works. I think what you’ll find is … over time, you’ll all see that I’m 100% innocent,” Barrack said as he left the courthouse.

Prosecutors say Barrack used his decades-long friendship with Trump to influence Republican policy, beginning when Trump was a candidate in 2016 and continuing after he was sworn in as president.

At the time, the UAE was in a diplomatic tension with Qatar. Prosecutors said that, among other things, Barrack provided Emirati government officials with information about how senior U.S. officials view the dispute. A group of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain, launched a blockade against Qatar in mid -2017.

Prosecutors said Barrack was proud of contacts at the Emirates that he could help them gain influence over the former new administration, even if he was seeking a position as ambassador to the UAE or as special envoy to the Middle East.

Federal authorities say Barrack violated the law by not disclosing his UAE ties to the U.S. government.

On Friday, a Los Angeles magistrate’s judge approved a $ 250 million bail agreement negotiated between Barrack’s attorneys and federal prosecutors. The arrangement required Barrack to surrender passports and submit to electronic tracking. It also imposed a curfew.

Barrack was charged with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements during an interview in June 2019 with federal agents.

Matthew Grimes, 27, an Aspen, former Colorado -based executive at the Barrack company, and Rashid al Malik, 43, an Emirati businessman who prosecutors said acted as a conduit to the nation’s leaders, were also charged with seven-count lawsuit returned to Brooklyn federal Court.

Grimes also appeared Monday in the same court, where his attorney entered an innocent plea for him.

Al Malik fled the U.S. three days after an April 2018 interview with law enforcement and remains at large, authorities said. He is believed to live somewhere in the Middle East.

Barrack was an informal adviser on Trump’s 2016 campaign before becoming head of the introductory committee.

The lawsuit against Barrack did not make allegations of wrongdoing by the inaugural committee or by Trump.

Copyright 2021 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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