The Department of Justice is investigating Elliott Broidy, a longtime Republican fundraiser, for allegedly trying to peddle his influence with the Trump administration to help Chinese and Malaysian officials, according to a new report.
Authorities are investigating whether Broidy explored a plan to try and convince the Trump administration to extradite a Chinese dissident to please Chinese officials, and whether he sought $75 million from a Malaysian business official if the Justice Department dropped its probe of a fund run by the Malaysian government, the Washington Post reported Friday.
Broidy’s attorney, Chris Clark, denied the allegations Saturday.
“Elliott Broidy has never agreed to work for, been retained by nor been compensated by any foreign government for any interaction with the United States Government, ever. Any implication to the contrary is a lie,” Clark said in a statement.
Broidy’s alleged efforts to use his White House connections for personal gain were first reported by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal in the spring, citing hacked emails.
“This is a fabrication driven by hackers who want to undermine me,” Broidy told the Times.
Broidy resigned as deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee in April after he admitted to paying hush money, through President Trump’s former longtime lawyer Michael Cohen, to a Playboy model who became pregnant during an extramarital affair with Broidy.
Justice Department prosecutors who investigate possible government and political corruption have recently sought documents relating to Broidy’s business dealings, the Post report said. They’ve subpoenaed Steve Wynn, a casino magnate and former RNC finance chairman who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct, for copies of records and communications relating to Broidy.
“Steve Wynn is completely cooperating with the investigation and he certainly has no reason to believe that anyone acted improperly in anything he knew about or was involved in,” Wynn’s attorney Reid Weingarten said in a statement to the Post.
Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigation Russian interference in the 2016 election, has asked at least one witness about Broidy’s business dealings, the report said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
According to previous reports, Broidy had advertised his access to Trump as he and George Nader, an adviser to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, sought million-dollar contracts from Arab countries. Both men supported U.A.E and Saudi Arabian interests and reportedly tried to undercut America’s relationship with Qatar, a political opponent of Saudi Arabia.
Broidy and Nader had not registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires lobbyists to reveal their connections and work on behalf of foreign governments.
