(FreedomBeacon.com)- Close Trump associate Tom Barrack, who was on trial in federal court accused of using his access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, was acquitted on all counts last Friday.
After three days of deliberation, the Brooklyn jury found Barrack not guilty of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice, and making false statements.
Barrack’s assistant, Matthew Grimes, was also acquitted.
The 75-year-old California billionaire who chaired Trump’s inaugural committee was one in a long list of Trump associates to face criminal charges.
After his acquittal, Barrack told reporters outside of the court that he was grateful the jury was able to understand “such complex and believable facts in front of them.” He told reporters he planned to have a drink and go visit the Statue of Liberty.
In his closing arguments, Barrack’s attorney Randall Jackson said his client never attempted to conceal his relationships with Rashid al-Malik, a UAE businessman who acted as a conduit to the rulers of the Persian Gulf state.
Jackson described al-Malik as just one in a network of business connections Barrack had cultivated throughout the Middle East. He argued that it made no sense for his client to try to infiltrate the Trump campaign on behalf of the UAE in 2016 since Trump’s chances of victory were considered a longshot at the time.
Jackson argued that Barrack got involved in the Trump campaign “because he’s loyal to his friends, maybe to a fault.”
During his testimony, Barrack said he never sought a pardon from former President Trump even after learning he was under investigation. When asked why, Barrack said, “I never did anything wrong.”
Barrack, a Lebanese-American who is fluent in Arabic, also testified that he arranged for Trump to meet with UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan and other officials from moderate Arab governments as part of an effort to try and persuade Trump to tone down his anti-Muslim rhetoric. He said he had tried to “get common ground” so he could get Trump “to step back from what he didn’t believe.”
