PETALING JAYA: The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) is investigating whether longtime Republican party fundraiser Elliott Broidy sought to sell his influence with the Trump administration by offering to deliver US government actions for foreign officials in exchange for tens of millions of dollars, according to three people familiar with the probe.

According to The Washington Post, the DoJ is investigating claims that Broidy sought US$75mil (RM307mil) from a Malaysian business official if DoJ ended its investigation into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

The Malaysian probe has examined the role of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak over alleged embezzlement of billions of dollars from the fund.

Broidy also allegedly tried to persuade the Trump government to extradite a Chinese dissident back to his home country, a move sought by Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to two of the people.

A DoJ spokesman declined to comment on the issue.

Christopher Clark, an attorney for Broidy, said in a statement: "Elliott Broidy has never agreed to work for, been retained by nor been compensated by any foreign government for any interaction with the United States government, ever. Any implication to the contrary is a lie".

Broidy's alleged activities were detailed in news reports earlier this year that cited hacked emails. The Los Angeles-based venture capitalist, who served as top fundraiser for the Republican party and president Donald Trump, has said that allegations against him are an effort by his enemies to smear him.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, an attorney for Trump, said he had no knowledge of any request for records related to Broidy. The White House referred a request for comment to the Republican National Committee, which declined to comment.

In recent weeks, prosecutors with the DoJ's public integrity section – which examines possible political and government corruption – have sought documents related to Broidy's business dealings.

The Washington Post reported that among the information sought by investigators are details about Broidy's work on behalf of and interactions with the Chinese and Malaysian officials, according to two people familiar with the document requests.

As part of their efforts, prosecutors have subpoenaed casino magnate Steve Wynn, the former RNC finance chairman and longtime Trump friend, for copies of records and communications related to Broidy.

An attorney for Wynn, Reid Weingarten, declined to comment, saying only that Wynn is cooperating with the Justice Department.

Broidy's business dealings captured the attention of investigators for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who asked at least one witness about Broidy's activities, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Broidy's attempts to solve high-level headaches for the Chinese and Malaysian governments were first reported this spring by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, which cited in part a cache of hacked emails.

Broidy has said the documents were stolen by enemies seeking to ruin his reputation.

The WSJ reported in March that, according to a draft contract, Broidy and his wife, Robin Rosenzweig, were seeking US$75mil (RM307mil) from Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho if federal prosecutors dropped their investigation into 1MDB.

The Justice Department has filed civil suits claiming US$4.5bil (RM18.46bil) in public money was misappropriated from 1MDB, seeking to claim a portion of those assets. Last month, Malaysian authorities charged Najib with embezzling billions in public money from the fund.