Former US Secretary of State Reveals Case Information "illegal client" for Emirates

Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testified before a jury in the case of Thomas J. Barack, a private investor accused of undercover work for the UAE.

Tillerson, the former head of Exxon Mobil Corporation, said that during his short and tumultuous tenure in government under Donald Trump, Tillerson tried to keep the country’s foreign policy at the top, in part by limiting control.New York Times“.

“With a reckless and sometimes non-transparent administration, the influence of outside advisers has at times thwarted these efforts,” he added.

Prosecutors charged Thomas J. Barack, a longtime friend of Trump, with being an unlawful agent for the Emirates who sought to influence Trump and his administration and passed classified information to the Gulf state.

Tillerson’s three-hour testimony was a reunion of powerful figures in the Trump administration in federal court in Brooklyn, as well as a refresher course on political crises in the Middle East during Trump’s first year in office.

After Tillerson was fired in March 2018, via Twitter after failing to establish himself as Trump’s head of diplomacy, he returned to Texas as a retiree.

On Monday, Tillerson testified that he had only spoken to Thomas J. Barrack a few times, including one time Barrack called him to ask about a potential ambassadorship, and that he did not know.

Asked by the Attorney General if he knew that Barack had given confidential information to a foreign government, Tillerson said he did not.

This testimony contrasts with the testimony and evidence presented at the trial, which began with opening statements on 21 September. The jury heard expert testimony about the United Arab Emirates and reviewed hundreds of emails and text messages exchanged between Barak, Emirati and Trump campaign officials ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Prosecutors accused Barack of using his influence with Trump to advance Emirates interests and acting as a secret conduit without revealing them to the Attorney General.

Barak faces nine charges, including acting as an unregistered agent for a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. Prosecutors say Barak has repeatedly lied to the FBI.

Evidence so far shows a flurry of correspondence about media appearances and political stances, with Barak and his aide regularly soliciting comments from the Emirates.

Barak’s lawyers described the government’s allegations against him as “ridiculous” and said he acted on his own, as a businessman with broad international interests, and not as a secret agent.

Source: New York Times.

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