Elliott Broidy, a California businessman and former top fund-raiser for Donald J. Trump, made headlines on Monday as he dropped two lawsuits against individuals he accused of being involved in a hack-and-leak operation that exposed his covert lobbying efforts to shape the Trump administration’s foreign policy.
Broidy pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiring to violate foreign lobbying laws on behalf of Chinese and Malaysian interests. However, he was pardoned by Trump just hours before leaving office in January 2021.
The hack and dissemination of Broidy’s records in 2018 came amidst a feud between Qatar and its regional rivals, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, from whom Broidy was seeking defense contracts. Broidy had been lobbying the Trump administration to take a tougher stance against Qatar.
In the lawsuits, Broidy claimed that the Qatari government orchestrated the hack to silence his criticism of the country’s alleged financing of terrorist groups. However, the responsibility for the hacking operation remains unclear.
One of the lawsuits was against Kevin Chalker, a former C.I.A. officer who owns a technology security firm. Broidy alleged that Chalker and his firm orchestrated the email hack on behalf of the Qataris. Chalker has denied any involvement in the hack and expressed relief that the case against him has been dismissed.
The other lawsuit was against three lobbyists who had worked for Qatar, accusing them of disseminating the hacked materials to undermine Broidy’s influence on U.S. foreign policy.
Despite the lawsuits being dropped, all parties involved continue to deny any role in the hack or dissemination of materials. Broidy’s lawyers did not provide a reason for dropping the lawsuits, and Broidy himself did not comment on the matter.
The hacked materials revealed Broidy’s efforts to use his connections to Trump and his administration to benefit foreign clients and secure lucrative contracts. He sought to influence White House policy towards Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while taking a hardline stance against Qatar.
Overall, the story of Elliott Broidy’s legal battles and the revelations from the hack shed light on the complex world of foreign lobbying and influence in U.S. politics.
