Thread by @ilyamarritz

This month, the Trump inaugural committee was subpoenaed
Then, a House committee investigated a plan to sell nuke tech to Saudi
there's a connection>> Trump friend *Tom*Barrack*
We profiled him this week for Trump Inc.
wnycstudios.org/story/trump-in… w/@JustinElliott

Barrack's friendship w Trump is fascinating. Rhetorically, the two men could not be more different.
Trump (left) - Barrack (right)

Barrack sometimes gives out these laminated cards with his 20 tips for success

#9 “always be nice to the invisible people”

documentcloud.org/documents/5743…

I've been researching Barrack since I got interested in the inaugural committee, about a year ago. Barrack was the chairman, top fundraiser, and decision-maker for a $107m party chest.

His friendship w Trump dates to the late 80s when sold the Plaza Hotel to Trump for an eye popping sum of money. Lately, Barrack seems to have reinterpreted the event

Despite Barrack's humble demeanor, all his life he's walked the corridors of power. His first job out of law school was for Pres. Nixon's personal attorney. Later, Barrack befriended a Saudi Prince & negotiated an oil refinery deal w/ Baby Doc Duvalier.

For a long time, I couldn't figure out why Barrack took the job of inaugural chairman. He himself called it "the worst job in America" in this @CSPAN interview
c-span.org/video/?421571-…

Then, I realized, Barrack had plenty to gain:
he got to throw multimillion dollar, closed-door party for himself, called The Chairman's Global Dinner. The event basically showed off his closeness to the incoming president, to a select audience.

And after the inauguration was over, Barrack's company, Colony, had a plan to profit from its connections, as @Justin Elliott and I reported
propublica.org/article/trump-…

With several investigations underway, Barrack is someone you'll probably hear a lot more about in 2019

So...here are some of the best stories about him
bloomberg.com/news/features/… by @CalebMelby archive.fortune.com/magazines/fort… by Shawn Tully
revealnews.org/article/profit… from @Aaron_Glantz nytimes.com/2018/06/13/wor… by @ddknyt