Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to be called as witness in trial of Thomas Barrack

Federal prosecutors have announced that they will former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as a witness in the New York trial of Thomas Barrack.  Tillerson served under Trump from February 1st, 2017, to March 31st 2018.

Barrack, who is a friend of Trump’s, has been accused of unlawfully lobbying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, Barrack’s attorneys confirmed on Saturday in a letter to the judge.

Federal prosecutors say that from 2016 to 2018 Barrack worked to advance a UAE “wish list” of foreign policy demands.

Prosecutors have accused Barrack of using his access to Trump to benefit the UAE government.

Attorneys for Barrack noted in their letter to Judge Brian Cogan that Tillerson, who is also a former CEO for Exxon Mobil, is being called earlier than anticipated due to a scheduling conflict.

“Today, the government informed the defense that it had ‘finalized the decision to call Secretary Tillerson as a witness,” Barrack’s attorneys wrote. 

Barrack’s legal teal noted that prosecutors planned to call Tillerson Tuesday but requested that Cogan order him to appear Monday instead. As a result of Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in Judaism, Tuesday is scheduled to be shorter than the other days in the trial.

If Tillerson does testify, he will be the first Cabinet official from the Trump administration to testify in the trial, which is entering its third week.

Barrack, along with one of his employees, Matthew Grimes, have submitted not guilty pleas to all charges. Barrack has been free on a $250 million bond ever since his arrest in July 2021. A third suspect, Rashid Al Malik, has not yet been located by authorities.