Two U.S. businessmen tried to secure large consulting contracts from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in exchange for access to President Trump and the opportunity to sway U.S. foreign policy that could negatively impact Qatar, according to a new report Monday.
Elliott Broidy, a GOP fundraiser, and George Nader, an adviser to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, advertised their access to Trump as they pursued million-dollar contracts from the Arab countries, according to interviews and emails obtained by the Associated Press.
It had been reported by the New York Times that both men had advocated for U.A.E. and Saudi Arabian interests, but their efforts to undercut the U.S.’s relationship with Qatar were not previously known.
Broidy and Nader were seeking to expose Qatar’s ties to Iran, a political opponent of Saudi Arabia, as part of a multimillion-dollar plan to have the U.S. convince Qatar to take “coercive action against Iran,” including sharing proof that Qatar backed controversial groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.
According to summaries of meetings Broidy had with Trump, he relayed positive words to Trump from princes of the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Broidy attempted to convince Trump to not get involved in the conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states and Qatar as well as to arrange a meeting with the Abu Dhabi crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed.
Both of the men were not registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which demands lobbyists reveal their connections and work conducted for foreign governments, per the Associated Press.
Chris Clark, who is an attorney for Broidy, claimed that Broidy had abided by “all relevant laws, including FARA,” arguing the report “is based on fraudulent and fabricated documents obtained from entities with a known agenda to harm Mr. Broidy.”
Broidy further alleges there was no need for him to register because his anti-Qatar efforts were conducted at his own discretion.
Additionally, he asserts some of the information obtained by media outlets was forged. Earlier this year, he and his wife filed a lawsuit claiming the Qatari government ran a campaign designed to harm his reputation by hacking his email accounts and providing information found to the press.
According to a senior Saudi official, their government did have discussions with Nadar but no contracts were signed after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman instructed aides to cease “engagement with these people.”
The AP report comes after it was revealed that Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen contacted government officials from Qatar and tried to sell them access to Trump for a minimum of $1 million, the Washington Post reports.
Broidy is another client of Cohen’s and has confessed to paying off a Playboy Playmate he had an affair with in exchange for her silence about their relationship.
