Who is Tom Barrack?

Tom Barrack, 75, a California-based billionaire and an old friend of former United States President Donald Trump, was acquitted of charges of being a foreign agent by a federal court on Friday. Barrack was accused attempting to further the interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and working as a foreign agent. 

He was also charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements to FBI agents in 2019. On Friday, Barrack was found not guilty on all charges. 

Who is Tom Barrack?

Thomas Joseph Barrack Jr., an American real estate investor and founder of the publicly traded REIT Colony Capital, was born on April 28, 1947. Barrack has supported former US President Donald Trump financially and served as his spokesperson in televised news appearances for decades.

He served as the chairman of Trump’s Inaugural Committee and was a key adviser to the candidate’s campaign. In July 2021, Barrack was briefly detained after being charged with obstruction of justice, lying to the FBI, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent of the United Arab Emirates.

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In May 2022, the charges against Barrack were expanded to include claims that he solicited hundreds of millions of dollars in investments from the UAE while improperly lobbying the Trump administration on the UAE’s behalf.

His grandparents were Lebanese Christians who left Zahlé, Lebanon in 1900 and came to the United States. He was raised in Culver City, California, where his mother worked as a secretary and his father as a grocery store clerk.

Barrack played on the varsity rugby team at the University of Southern California (USC), where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. Prior to earning a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1972, he studied law at the USC Gould School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Southern California Law Review.

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Under James G. Watt in the Reagan administration, Barrack worked as the deputy undersecretary of the US Department of the Interior in 1982. When President Reagan was visiting his adjacent Rancho del Cielo, the Secret Service would board its horses at Barrack’s ranch. Secretary Watt announced his resignation later announced his resignation from Barrack’s ranch.

Barrack claims he lost interest in working for the government after being forced to appear before a congressional committee concerning a gift he gave to the person who bought Edwin Meese’s property.

According to reports, Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was friends with Barrack.

In 2016, Barrack and his most recent wife got divorced. 

Barrack has six children.