Nov 4, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Trump friend found not guilty of violating foreign agents law

Tom Barrack Jr., founder of Colony Capital Inc., departs from criminal court in New York, US.

Tom Barrack departs from criminal court in New York. Photo: David 'Dee' Delgado/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tom Barrack, a longtime ally of former President Trump, has been found not guilty of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, AP reports.

Why it matters: Barrack, a California billionaire, helped chair Trump's 2017 inaugural committee.

Details: Barrack was accused of using his access to Trump to advocate for the United Arab Emirates without registering as a foreign agent, Axios' Dan Primack writes.

  • He was also accused of obstruction of justice and making false statements in a 2019 interview with the FBI.
  • After three days of deliberations, a jury found Barrack not guilty of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal officials, AP reports.
  • Barrack has denied any wrongdoing, saying he made positive remarks about UAE because he wanted to, not because he was asked to, NBC News reports.

What they're saying: Trump said in a statement Barrack's acquittal was "great news."

  • "My great respect goes out to the jurors for their courage and understanding in coming to an absolutely correct decision," he added.

Worth noting: Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin both testified in the trial, which lasted for six weeks, according to NBC.

Go deeper: Trump confidante Tom Barrack's fall from grace

Editor's note: The headline and story have been corrected to show that Tom Barrack was acquitted of all charges, which included the charge of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government (not illegal foreign lobbying).

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