NEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump may be called as a witness in the criminal trial of Thomas Barak, a private equity investor and former Trump fundraiser accused of acting as an unregistered agent for the United Arab Emirates. the judge said Monday. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn told several potential jurors in Barack’s trial about the prospect of Trump testifying to gauge whether they might be biased against the defendant. Prosecutors said Barak, a former chairman of the company now called DigitalBridge Group Inc ( DBRG.N ), tried to use his ties to Trump to advance the UAE’s interests without disclosing his efforts to the country’s attorney general. USA as required by law. Barack raised money for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign and chaired Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Barak, 75, has pleaded not guilty, as has his former assistant and co-defendant Matthew Grimes. Both intend to argue that their interactions with UAE officials were part of their jobs, and Barak’s lawyers have said the US State Department and Trump himself were aware of his contacts with Middle Eastern officials. Any testimony from Trump will come as the Republican businessman-turned-politician faces a series of legal issues, including a federal investigation into his handling of presidential records after he left office and a New York state trial in October of his family company for tax fraud. A lawyer and a spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Barak’s lawyers said in an Aug. 26 court filing that Trump and members of his administration “cannot be ruled out as potential witnesses.” Twelve jurors and four alternates are set to serve in the trial, which is expected to last about a month. Prosecutors believe UAE officials briefed Barrack on what to say in television interviews and what Trump should say in a 2016 energy policy speech, and directed him to promote the interests of ally Saudi Arabia of the UAE. read more Barak was indicted last year on charges of acting as a foreign agent, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and making false statements in an FBI interview. The foreign agent charge carries a 10-year prison sentence. Cogan dismissed a prospective juror who said she didn’t like Trump, prompting the judge to ask if she could put her feelings aside. “Subconsciously, I have no control,” he said. “Consciously, I want to be fair and impartial.” Another prospective juror was dismissed by the judge after he blamed Trump’s relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who US intelligence has concluded authorized an operation to capture or kill slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. “The guy allegedly killed the reporter and you’re going to shake his hand?” asked the prospective juror. Bin Salman has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s death. Barak was arrested in Los Angeles but released on $250 million bail. Another co-accused, Emirati businessman Rashid Al Malik, is at large. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York. Editing: Will Dunham and Jonathan Oatis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Luke Cohen Thomson Reuters Reports for New York federal courts. He previously worked as a correspondent in Venezuela and Argentina.
