What a coincidence! Thomas Barrack, another Trump “advisor” and chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee has been arrested and charged with acting as a foreign agent.
context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/def….
This isn't actually a FARA violation. It's worse.
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22 USC 611 (FARA) is a documentary requirement and (if you lie) can carry a 5-year sentence.
Barrack was charged with the "espionage lite" statute for people working on behalf of a foreign power: law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18…
This one carries up to a 10-year penalty.
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One reason I said, "what a coincidence" is that this week I'm writing about Republican lawbreaking.
But who the heck can keep up?
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The link from Tweet #1 didn't work. Here's the indictment: context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/def…
A foreign agent is someone working in the US but "subject to the direction or control of a foreign government."
This doesn't include consulates or officials. It's someone working in secret.
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If you're working in the US, but subject to the control of a foreign government, you're required to provide notification to the Attorney General.
Here's what's mind bending: The guy secretly working under the control of a foreign government was advising the US President.
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Barrack was working for not 1, not 2 . . . but 4 unnamed Emirati officials whose names are known to the grand jury.
And what did they have Barrack doing?
Among other things, influencing US foreign policy and "obtaining information" about US government positions.
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Just think how much easier it is to accomplish these goals if you're the Chair of the Presidential Inaugural Fund and an advisor to the United States president.
Whether or not Trump knew, he looks bad. Right?
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If he knew, then he's letting his staff secretly work for a foreign government. If he didn't know, he was a dupe.
One problem with all these crimes is that it's hard to focus on one. There are too many! It's dizzying! They all fade into a blur.
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None of them can sink the public consciousness. The Trump Org indictment was just a few weeks ago.
Compare that to the constant repetition of "her emails" -- a made-up crime. It was hammered so often that even those who know there was no crime feel a nagging doubt.
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