The chair of former US president Donald Trump's 2017 inaugural committee was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly trying to influence US foreign policy in favor of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Thomas Joseph Barrack, 74, of Santa Monica, California, was accused by a federal court in New York along with two other men of working to advanceUAE interests in the election campaign and throughout the presidency.

What are the charges?

Federal prosecutors charged Barrack with conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI agents on June 20, 2019.

The charges not only included promoting UAE interests in the White House but also providing the UAE with sensitive information about what senior US officials felt about UAE actions like the Qatar blockade.

The Brooklyn federal court also charged Matthew Grimes, 27, of Aspen, Colorado and Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi, 43, of the United Arab Emirates in a seven-count indictment.

Federal agents arrested Grimes on Tuesday, although it was not clear what had happened with Alshahhi.

A spokesperson for Barrack said the defendant had "made himself voluntarily available to investigators from the outset."

What have New York attorneys said?

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark Lesko said the three had used Barrackꞌs "access" to Trump, campaign and government officials and the American media to advance UAE interests.

Lesko said the alleged behavior "without disclosing their true allegiances" was "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,'' the statement said.

Who is Thomas Joseph Barrack?

A long-term ally of Trump, Barrack founded the successful real estate equity firm Colony Capital which has $50 billion in assets.

In June 2018, the New York Times revealed the Colony NorthStar it formed in a merger had received $7 billion of investments after Donald Trump got to office, of which 24% came from UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Barrack stepped down as chief executive in 2020 and resigned as executive chairman of Colony Capital in April.

jc/rt (Reuters, AFP. AP)