A close ally of former President Donald Trump took the witness stand at his federal trial Monday to refute charges he secretly fed confidential information about Trump’s administration to the United Arab Emirates to advance the UAE's foreign policy and business interests.
Tom Barrack, the onetime chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, told a New York City jury that it would have been “impossible” for him to act as a foreign agent for one Middle East investor in his private equity fund because other investors would object to it. Barrack said there’s an intense vetting process to assure that money managers don’t have such conflicts of interest.
