AFP |
A United Arab Emirates businessman linked to a probe of illegal donations to Donald Trump’s political campaign was paid by his country’s intelligence agency to spy on the US president’s administration, The Intercept reported Monday.
Businessman Rashid Al-Malik reported to UAE intelligence on the Trump administration’s Middle East policy as part of a broader influence effort, according to a former U.S. official and documents viewed by The Intercept. https://t.co/IATQZZDvfM
— The Intercept (@theintercept) June 10, 2019
Rashid al-Malik received tens of thousands of dollars a month for gleaning information on Trump administration policy toward the Middle East in 2017, the website said, citing a former US official and documents.
The National Intelligence Service of the UAE paid an Emirati businessman tens of thousands of dollars a month to gather information on the Trump administration, a role for which his investment business would have provided a convenient cover. https://t.co/F2UEogtEJ6
— The Intercept (@theintercept) June 10, 2019
He reported back to the UAE’s National Intelligence Service on topics of interest to the oil-producing Gulf state – including US efforts to mediate a Gulf feud involving Qatar – as well as meetings between US officials and Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Intercept said.
The Dubai businessman was tasked to report on topics of consequence to the UAE, such as U.S. efforts to mediate the ongoing feud between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar; as well as meetings between senior U.S. officials and Saudi Crown Prince MBS. https://t.co/0Kspl2qnBp
— The Intercept (@theintercept) June 10, 2019
Late last year, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that US federal prosecutors were investigating whether foreigners illegally funneled donations to Trump’s inaugural committee and a pro-Trump fundraising super PAC.
The Intercept report came after the Justice Department last week said George Nader, a well-connected Middle East fixer for the Trump campaign, was arrested for possessing child pornography.
Al-Malik, chairman of the investment firm Hayah Holdings, was interviewed by special counsel Robert Muller’s office as part of the probe, according to the New York Times.
The Times cited people familiar with the inquiry as saying it focused on whether people from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates used straw donors to make contributions in the hope of buying influence over US policy.
The report was denied by al-Malik’s lawyer, who told The Intercept that his client was “not an intelligence operative.” “He has never been ‘tasked’ to deliver information about the inner workings of the Trump administration,” Coffield wrote in an email to the website.
He has, however, “on numerous occasions, discussed various business ideas for UAE projects in the US,” the lawyer was quoted as saying.
Read more: Turkey arrests two suspected UAE spies: report
The Intercept report came after the Justice Department last week said George Nader, a well-connected Middle East fixer for the Trump campaign, was arrested for possessing child pornography.
BREAKING: George Nader, figure linked to Trump transition, charged with transporting child pornography https://t.co/sgoZtnqDBN
— Devlin Barrett (@DevlinBarrett) June 3, 2019
Nader was a witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election meddling.
AFP with additional input by GVS news desk