Trump's 2017 inaugural chairman charged with multiple felony counts of illegal lobbying, obstruction of justice, and false statements

Tom Barrack.

Reuters

• Trump's 2017 inaugural chairman, Tom Barrack, was arrested on seven felony counts Tuesday.
• He and two other defendants are accused of breaking lobbying laws, obstruction of justice, and making false statements.
• The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing short of a betrayal" of US officials, the DOJ said in a press release.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

The chairman of former President Donald Trump's inaugural fund, Tom Barrack, was arrested Tuesday and charged with seven felony counts including acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice, and false statements.

Two other defendants - Matthew Grimes and Rashid Al Malik - were also charged along with Barrack. According to the indictment, the three defendants are accused of acting and conspiring to act as agents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between April 2016 and April 2018. Barrack, specifically, was also charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements during a June 2019 interview with FBI agents.

"The defendants repeatedly capitalized on Barrack's friendships and access to a candidate who was eventually elected President, high-ranking campaign and government officials, and the American media to advance the policy goals of a foreign government without disclosing their true allegiances," Mark Lesko, the acting assistant attorney general in the DOJ's national security division, said in a news release.

He added: "The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing short of a betrayal of those officials in the United States, including the former President. Through this indictment, we are putting everyone - regardless of their wealth or perceived political power - on notice that the Department of Justice will enforce the prohibition of this sort of undisclosed foreign influence."

A spokesperson for Barrack did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

NBC's Andrew Blankstein and Pete Williams first reported on Barrack's arrest, and CNBC reported that he was arrested in Los Angeles.

This story is breaking. Check back for updates.

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