Middleman helped Saudi give to Obama inauguration
Published:Wednesday | October 30, 2019 | 12:31 AM
When President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012, a Saudi tycoon and his business associate sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to the US to help pay for the inaugural celebration and get a picture with the president, according to court documents and an analysis of campaign finance records by The Associated Press.
US election law prohibits foreign nationals from making those sorts of political contributions. But the donations Sheikh Mohammed Al Rahbani tried to send to Obama’s inaugural committee were funnelled through a seasoned straw donor, the records and the AP analysis show.
That intermediary, Imaad Zuberi, agreed this month to plead guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to several American political candidates on behalf of foreign nationals. He is also set to plead guilty to concealing his work as a foreign agent as he lobbied high-level US government officials.