President-elect Donald Trump announced private equity executive Tom Barrack, a longtime ally who faced legal scrutiny for his work on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, as his pick to be the next U.S. ambassador to Turkey.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said Barrack, a California billionaire, is “a well respected and experienced voice of reason to a wide range of thought leaders in both political and business circles.”
Barrack’s relationship with Trump goes back to the 1980s and he has fundraised and supported Trump throughout his political career. Barrack, who served as a deputy undersecretary at the Department of the Interior during the Reagan administration, was a senior adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016 and chaired the 2017 inaugural committee.
But Barrack may face a rocky road to confirmation. He has faced legal issues related to his Middle East business dealings and his ties to Trump.
An Arabic speaker born to Lebanese parents, Barrack built relationships with Saudi government officials and businesses in the 1970s. He also helped open diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Haiti, and has ties to other Gulf monarchies.
He was indicted by the Department of Justice in 2021 on charges that he was lobbying the Trump campaign on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, all the while pursuing business deals valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Barrack was acquitted in November 2022.
During the Trump administration, Barrack was heavily scrutinized for his connections to undemocratic regimes in the Middle East and foreign donations to the 2017 inaugural committee.
Barrack was also a friend of disgraced investor and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.