NEW YORK — In May 2016, as Donald Trump began racking up Republican primary victories, his friend Tom Barrack sent an email to an official in the United Arab Emirates.
“Trump is the man,” Barrack said, suggesting “HH” could pack his bags.
Federal prosecutors have alleged “HH” is “His Highness,” in this case, UAE ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, or MBZ. And they argue the email was part of Barrack’s efforts to ingratiate himself with the Gulf State by suggesting he could steer U.S. policy in its favor. Other emails appear to show Barrack trying to arrange a meeting between Trump and MBZ.
The email was one of dozens of messages shown to jurors Thursday in Barrack’s trial on charges that he acted as an unregistered UAE agent in trying to influence the Trump campaign and White House. Federal prosecutors claim the Colony Capital founder was motivated by the desire to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in UAE investments in his fund and other ventures.
Barrack, who has pleaded not guilty, says he gave the Trump administration advice based on his long experience doing business in the Middle East, but it was unrelated to any investments.
In the indictment, prosecutors said Barrack worked to “establish himself as the key communications channel” for the campaign and the UAE, eventually boasting in one email that he was “the only channel” to Trump.
While jurors were shown the emails and text messages, an FBI agent also read them aloud on the stand in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Many referenced MBZ or his brother, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser.
In another May 2016 email, Barrack told another associate in the UAE that MBZ reached out to Jared Kushner to arrange a meeting with Trump.
“Just so you know Sheikh Mohammed reached out to the Trump organization to Jared, Donald’s son-in-law to try to set up a meeting,” Barrack wrote, adding that he “intercepted” the message and suggested a “one-on-one meeting” on the subject.
‘You rock!’
In another email exchange, UAE officials gave Barrack talking points he and the campaign could use to promote the nation and its ally, Saudi Arabia. Barrack raised them in TV interviews as a campaign surrogate, and prosecutors also showed jurors part of a May 2016 speech in which Trump echoed some of the UAE’s messaging.
“Congrats, on the great job today!” the UAE official wrote Barrack after Trump’s speech. “HH and everybody here are happy with the results.”
At the same time, prosecutors said Barrack made sure to keep his old friend happy.
“Donald, you rock!,” Barrack wrote to Trump on Feb. 29, 2016, the day before Super Tuesday, when several states would be holding their primaries. “Tomorrow will be another huge victory for you!”
The case is U.S. v. Al Malik Alshahhi, 21-cr-00371, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).
