UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Federal Grand Jury Probing Top GOP Donor Elliott Broidy Over Trump Inauguration

Investigators want to know if he used his position as vice chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee to help him strike foreign business deals.

Top Republican fundraiser and Trump ally Elliott Broidy is under investigation by a federal grand jury over suspicions that he used his position as vice chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee to help him strike business deals with foreign leaders. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn recently sent a subpoena to Trump’s inaugural committee to gain records relating to 20 individuals and businesses all with connections to Broidy, according to the AP. He reportedly pursued business deals with the current president of Angola and two politicians in Romania. Investigators want to know if he violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to offer foreign officials “anything of value” to get a business advantage. Broidy’s lawyers said he didn’t have a contract or exchange money with any Romanian government politicians, and said the dealings with Angola had no connection to the inaugural committee.