Trump adviser in 2016 gave draft of energy speech to UAE for edits


In 2016, two weeks before then-candidate Donald Trump was scheduled to give a speech on energy, one of his closest advisers sent a copy of his planned remarks to an associate in the United Arab Emirates for their review, per documents obtained by House Oversight Committee investigators.
A report released on Monday says that investor Thomas Barrack, who went on to chair Trump's inaugural committee, sent the speech to a former business associate from the UAE, who later told Barrack he passed the remarks along to UAE and Saudi government officials. Barrack then asked Trump's campaign manager, Paul Manafort, to add language requested by the UAE officials to the speech. In an email to Barrack, Manafort confirmed that the speech "has the language you want."
The report says the "Trump administration has virtually obliterated the lines normally separating government policymaking from corporate and foreign interests," but the documents gathered do not indicate that Trump knew drafts of the speech had been circulated among officials in the Middle East. Trump delivered his remarks in North Dakota, promising an "America First" energy plan while also vowing to "work with our Gulf allies to develop a positive energy relationship as part of our anti-terrorism strategy."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The countries around the world without jury trials
The Explainer Legal systems in much of continental Europe and Asia do not rely on randomly selected members of the public
-
How did the Wagner Group recruit young British men for arson attack?
Today's Big Question Russian operatives have been using encrypted messaging apps to groom saboteurs across Europe
-
The best graphic novels
The Week Recommends These inventive illustrated books will transport you to another world
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin on August 1, with rates ranging from 25% to 40% on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration