Title : Mueller team questions Trump's longtime friend Tom Barrack
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Mueller team questions Trump's longtime friend Tom Barrack
Investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller have interviewed one of U.S. President Donald Trump's closest friends and confidants, California real estate investor Tom Barrack, The Associated Press has learned.
Barrack was interviewed as part of the federal investigation of possible co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The specific topics covered in questions from Mueller's team were not immediately clear.
One of the people who spoke to AP said the questioning focused entirely on two officials from Trump's campaign who have been indicted by Mueller: Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Manafort's longtime deputy Rick Gates. Gates agreed to plead guilty to federal conspiracy and false-statement charges in February and began co-operating with investigators.
This person said Barrack was interviewed "months ago" and was asked a few questions about Gates's work on Trump's inaugural committee, which Barrack chaired, but there were no questions about the money raised by that committee.
A second person with knowledge of the Barrack interview said the questioning was broader and did include financial matters about the campaign, the transition and Trump's inauguration in January 2017.
Barrack's spokesperson, Lisa Baker, declined to comment.
Barrack has rare access and insight into Trump going back decades, since their days developing real estate. Barrack played an integral role in the 2016 campaign as a top fundraiser at a time when many other Republicans were shunning the upstart candidate. Barrack later directed Trump's inauguration.
Barrack, a wealthy real estate investor with close ties to several Mideast leaders, met Trump in 1988 when he negotiated the sale of the Plaza Hotel in New York to Trump. Barrack's publicist in 2016 described the men as having since "solidified a lifelong friendship between themselves and their families."
Barrack employed Gates last year, wrapping up operations on the Presidential Inaugural Committee, before Gates was charged by Mueller.
'America First' in Ohio
Trump, meanwhile, was in Cleveland on Saturday ahead of the Ohio's primary election.
He spent several hours meeting with supporters and participating in a roundtable designed to highlight the benefits of the new Republican tax law. Striking a celebratory tone, Trump listed his poll numbers and recounted the successes of his first year in office. He also looked ahead to his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
"We have the time and place all finished," Trump said, but he wouldn't predict the outcome of the talks, saying, "we'll see what happens."
Trump criticized U.S. immigration policy, saying people entering the U.S. illegally are taking advantage of "catch-and-release" practices and don't show up for their immigration court dates. He said: "We may have to close up our country to get this straight."
He also said U.S. protectionist trade policies and his more isolationist policies would benefit Americans.
Trump's visit comes as Republicans are facing an increasingly challenging midterm election environment.
Ohio has several competitive races this November. The Republicans are pegging their election hopes on convincing Americans that the tax law is improving their lives, as the party seeks to skirt political headwinds emanating from the White House.
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