Trump ally denies foreign influence charge

Prosecutors say that while UAE officials were consorting with Barrack, they were rewarding him by pouring millions of dollars into his business ventures

Tom Barrack is accused of using his “unique access” as a longtime friend of Trump to manipulate Trump’s campaign — and later his Republican administration — to advance the interests of the UAE (Bebeto Matthews/AP/PA)

A California billionaire known as an ally of Donald Trump used his testimony at his federal trial on Monday to question Mr Trump’s leadership on foreign policy, saying the former president was clueless about the dynamics in the Middle East.

Tom Barrack is accused of using his “unique access” as a longtime friend of Mr Trump to provide confidential information about the Trump administration to the United Arab Emirates to advance the UAE’s foreign policy and business interests.