Thomas Barrack, longtime Trump ally, indicted for lobbying activities for UAE
CBSN
Washington — Thomas Barrack, a close adviser to former President Trump and chair of his inaugural committee, was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with a violating federal lobbying law after allegedly failing to disclose his work on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, the Justice Department said.
A seven-count indictment was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Barrack and two others, Matthew Grimes and Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, for their alleged efforts between April 2016 and April 2018 as agents of the UAE. Barrack allegedly attempted to influence the foreign policy positions of then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and later the Trump administration. Federal prosecutors also allege Barrack and the two others sought to influence public opinion in the U.S. in favor of UAE interests. Barrack is also facing charges of obstruction of justice and lying to federal agencies during a June 2019 interview.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.