Ex-Trump fundraiser pleads guilty to illicit lobbying on 1MDB, China
21 October, 2020
A former top fundraiser for President Donald Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday (Oct 20) to illegally lobbying the government to drop its probe in to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal also to deport an exiled Chinese billionaire.
Elliott Broidy, 63, was charged in early October with one count of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent after allegedly agreeing to take huge amount of money to lobby the Trump administration.
At the time Broidy was national deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, after having been a significant fundraiser for Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign.
The indictment said Broidy was recruited in 2017 by an unnamed foreign national, understood to be Malaysian Low Taek Jho, to pressure US officials to get rid of their investigation of a scandal engulfing then Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.
The scandal involved the theft of greater than US$4.5 billion from state investment fund 1MDB, and Low was allegedly central to moving and hiding some of the stolen funds.
The lobbying included trying to set up for Najib and Trump to play golf together in September 2017, to give the Malaysia leader an opportunity to pressure Trump to get rid of the US probe.
The golfing technique never happened, and Low was indicted in 2018 for his role in siphoning off billions from 1MDB.
In addition, in-may 2017 Low introduced Broidy to a senior Chinese security official, plus they discussed Beijing's desire that Washington deport an exiled Chinese tycoon, known to be Guo Wengui, a prominent dissident businessman.
The indictment describes Broidy's extreme lobbying of the White House, the Justice Department and police with respect to the Chinese, including contacts with but not direct discussions with Trump.
"This case demonstrates how foreign governments and principals seek to advance their agendas in the USA by hiding behind politically influential proxies," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt in a statement.
"Such conduct poses a serious threat to your national security and undermines the integrity of our democracy."
Broidy faces no more than five years in prison, and is forfeiting US$6.6 million he earned from Low for the lobbying, the Justice department said.
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