Court Documents Show Middleman Donated Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

The Associated Press has been combing through court documents and conducting an analysis on the Obama Administration’s campaign financing, and what they found is astounding. When he was reelected in 2012, a Saudi tycoon used a middleman to funnel contributions to his inaugural celebration, which is considered to be a campaign donation, and is illegal for foreigners to donate to.

From the Associated Press: “U.S. 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 funneled through a seasoned straw donor, the records and the AP analysis show.” Imaad Zuberi agreed to plead guilty to illegal campaign contributions to several political candidates on behalf of foreign nationals this month.

He will also plead guilty to concealing his role as a foreign agent lobbying high level US officials. From AP: “The prosecution by the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles is the latest in a string of cases that highlight the prevalence of banned foreign money in American politics and the often lax approach campaigns take in vetting contributions.” Proving that swamp creatures fly in on both wings, this middleman has been funneling millions of dollars in foreign cash to Democrats and Republicans alike for years, and has worked with more foreigners than just Rahbani.

Another Obama Setup?

In what cannot possibly be labeled a shocker, Zuberi worked as a top campaign fundraiser for both the Obama campaign and the Hillary Clinton campaign. He then switched sides and supported President Donald Trump after his 2016 win. It is said he contributed quite a bit to the president’s inaugural celebration and his reelection fund. The Trump administration and his personal lawyers have been cooperating fully with the federal investigation, reports the AP.

“Federal Election Commission records show hundreds of donations from Zuberi and his family to Republican and Democratic national committees, the presidential campaigns of Trump and Clinton, and dozens of congressional candidates across the political spectrum. Zuberi-linked donations often went to lawmakers who are influential or outspoken on foreign policy issues, like Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.”

This revelation reminds of the social media campaign Russian agents attempted in 2015-2016, in which they took out ads for both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and ads against both candidates. Especially considering Rahbani never hid his support for Barack Obama, and has taken photos with his wife and Obama posted to his website. The website was taken down immediately after Zuberi’s plea was made public.

It isn’t unusual for candidates to have photo sessions with donors, and it is legal. Foreign contributors, however, are banned from doing so. Rahbani’s $100,000 contribution to Obama’s inaugural committee was earmarked “photos,” according to the AP. Zuberi is said to have “tried to get Rahbani and one of his business associates to donate even more money by falsely claiming they had taken too many people to a photo session with Obama and Biden and owed more money as a result, prosecutors said.”