Published 12:13 IST, October 9th 2020

Trump's former fundraiser charged for involvement in foreign lobbying

Justice Department found Brody was one-time client of Michael Cohen who had arranged for Malaysian PM and Trump's outing via National Security Council official.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
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On October 8, Feds charged a prominent former GOP fundraiser to Donald Trump in covert lobbying efforts to drop Justice Department probe. Elliott Broidy has been accused of an illicit lobbying campaign targeted at Trump administration to botch investigation into a sensational multibillion-dollar embezzlement scheme 1MDB that looted Malaysian state investment fund.

Justice Department found Brody to be a one-time client of Michael Cohen who had arranged for a top official on National Security Council to try and arrange a golf outing between Malaysian prime minister and President Donald Trump, a charging document accessed by Associated Press confirmed. While Brody had through-and-through concealed that he operated on behalf of a Malaysian businessman named Jho Low, who had been charged by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn in relation to Malaysian government investment fund scam, he constantly “inappropriately” influenced Trump administration.

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charged document cites that Broidy conspired to manipulate administration in terms of foreign interest. He was involved with Fugees founding member Michel Pras and a Hawaiian businesswoman, from whom, he accepted millions of dollars to get Justice Department to nullify charges against Low, although his attempts were in vain. Brody formerly held senior finance posts in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and it was found that he had failed to register under Foreign nts Registration Act all this while, according to charging paperwork cited by AP’s sources as ‘Information’. 

“Broidy facilitated and attempted to facilitate meetings and or efforts to influence officials at highest level of United States government, including President and Attorney General,” AP quoted prosecutors as saying.

[Elliott Broidy poses for a photo at an event in New York. Broidy, a fundraiser for President Donald Trump and Republican Party, has been charged in an illicit lobbying campaign aimed at getting Trump administration to drop an investigation into multibillion-dollar looting of a Malaysian state investment fund. AP Photo/David Karp, File]

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Brody met Trump at White House 

Furr, prosecutors alleged that conspirator held a high-level meeting at a Bangkok hotel suite in 2017, where he agreed to lobby Trump administration and attorney general, and Jeff Sessions for about $8 million retainer fee. While Brody had held a position of deputy chairman of Republican National Committee and a top fundraiser for US President Trump, he resigned in 2018 in relation to Playboy Playmate scandal in which he paid $1.6 million. AP’s sources reveal that in 2017, in fact, Trump and Malaysian prime minister did meet at White House in September and Broidy met Trump himself that month. Brody’s separate lobbying effort involved a Chinese dissident’s removal on a temporary visa in 2014. Prosecutors suspected Chinese to be Guo Wengui who left China in 2014 due to an anti-corruption crackdown.

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12:14 IST, October 9th 2020