As Palestinian 'Cause' Loses Steam, Only Unity Among Factions Can Revive Its Importance, Expert Says

© AP Photo / Khalil Hamra

OPINION 05.08.2020 by Elizabeth Blade

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lost its centrality in the eyes of the Palestinians as well as regional and international players, says a Ramallah-based expert, attributing the change in attitude to the rift between Fatah and Hamas and a number of global developments.

Only a month ago, the Palestinian issue was grabbing headlines around the world, triggered by Israel's plan to extend its sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.

But as the initiative has been put on the back burner (for the time being), the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lost its centrality, making room for other local and regional issues.

In the past, this wasn't the case. For nearly a century, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been at the forefront of discourse on the Middle East, with politicians and experts linking regional stability to the resolution of the decades-long saga.

Each Arab state emphasised the centrality of the conflict for its own political reasons. Jordan, for example, with its vast Palestinian population, has always positioned itself as the defender of their cause. Syria, under former President Hafez Assad, viewed the entire area as part of Greater Syria, while Egypt, which considers itself the "mother of [the Arab - ed.] world" and wants to unite the region under its leadership, has also placed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the top of its agenda.

So did the international community. From 1945 to 2016 the United Nations passed 80 resolutions on Israel and in 2019 the international body made 18 declarations against the Jewish state, more than twice the number directed at other countries.

Yet, Nidal Foqaha, Director General of the Palestinian Peace Coalition-Geneva Initiative in Ramallah, says both interest in and the "centrality of the Palestinian cause" has dropped significantly over the last few years and although the change cannot be attributed to a certain date, he does point to a number of regional and international factors that contributed to the shift.

Local Upheavals?

The first factor was the stalled peace process that collapsed in the early 2000s, when then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak could not come to terms with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat primarily on the issue of Jerusalem, borders, and the status of refugees.

Then there was another upheaval. The death of Arafat in 2004 which left the Palestinians without a strong leader. Two years later Palestinians went to the polls and Hamas, a group that embraced a more aggressive approach towards Israel and slammed the ruling elite of Fatah for its peace talks with the Jewish state, won, gaining 74 out of 123 seats.

That victory bolstered Hamas’ position and one year later it ousted the Fatah officials who previously controlled both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, establishing full control over the area and causing friction with the Palestinian Authority, a conflict from which the two factions haven't been able to recover.

"That split has had a bad impact on our national project. We promised our people an independent state but so far we've failed to keep that word, and that gap between the leadership and ordinary citizens ended up hurting our credibility in the eyes of the Palestinian people".

Foqaha's words are backed up by numbers. In 2016, a public opinion poll found that 64 percent of Palestinians were unhappy with the conduct of the current PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who at times is held responsible for exerting little effort in bridging the gap between Fatah and Hamas.

And in 2019, another survey found that he stood no chance against such leaders as the imprisoned Marwan Barghouti, who is serving a life sentence for carrying out terror attacks against Israelis, or the chief of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, both of whom enjoy public popularity.
They Don't Really Care About Us?

The Fatah-Hamas split caused by the ouster of the PA from the Strip has also led to another dire repercussion, namely the stance of the Palestinians in the eyes of the international community.
"It weakened our leverage on the global arena, prevented us from forming a unified front, and that inevitably affected the way the world looks at us".

Although in 2020, the European Union has allocated more than $20 million to the Palestinians, there have also been reports suggesting that several states considered reviewing their assistance to the PA, meaning a cut in cash flow.

A similar challenge has also been posed by the Americans under the Trump administration who in 2019 stopped all assistance to the PA, citing its involvement in terror, and by several Arab donors that steered their attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the eruption of the Arab Spring in 2011.

"We are now facing a new reality. The Europeans are busy with the refugees they have absorbed and the economic crisis, regional stakeholders are now looking into their own interests, whereas in Washington, we face quite a biased administration that prevents us from getting any help".

Nevertheless, Foqaha says the Palestinians will not give up on their struggle but the key to success, he believes, lies in unity, not in division.

"We need to move towards a genuine political partnership that brings together all factions under one umbrella. Even if we disagree on the future tools that will be used to achieve that unity. Only then will we be able to restore the image of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation in the eyes of our people and then the world".

The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

 

Israel stops renewing visas for UN human rights workers By The Palestine Monitor - October 21, 2020 Print: Work visas for UN human rights workers in Palestine have been discontinued by the Israeli government, effectively forcing the top body of staff to leave the country.  Nine of 12 foreign staff from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – including country director James Heenan – had to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories for fear of being undocumented after Israeli authorities refused to renew their visas. Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the OHCHR, told Middle East Eye the lack of UN staff will have a huge impact on their humanitarian work in the region. “The absence of international staff from the occupied territory is a highly irregular situation and will negatively impact on our ability to carry out our mandate,” Colville said. “We continue to hope that this situation will be resolved soon, and we are actively engaged with various relevant and concerned parties to that end.” The OHCHR writes regular reports highlighting alleged Israeli rights abuses in occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. United Nations employees across the world are supposed to be automatically granted access to visas to carry out their work. In February, Israel announced it was suspending ties with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) after a report highlighted more than 100 companies that work in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The report, which highlighted Tripadvisor, Airbnb and the truck and digger maker JCB, among others, was welcomed by Palestinians but sparked Israeli ire. Omar Shakir, director of Human Rights Watch for Israel and Palestine, who is currently based in Amman after being expelled from Israel after claims he supported calls for a boycott, told Al Jazeera this move is part of a wider trend in which other human rights activists are being denied entry due to their criticism of Israel’s human rights record. “Forcing [out] human right monitoring groups is part of a clear strategy that aims to muzzle documentations of Israel’s systematic repression of Palestinians,” Shakir said.  “The reality is that silencing human rights activists …  often only brings more attention to those issues,” he said, suggesting that if Israel’s goal was to silence criticism it had failed, as human rights activists continue to do their work as “strongly” as before. “In an era with COVID-19, where people are finding alternative ways to engage with local partners and to understand the reality on the ground, we just continue our work,” Shakir added.

UK

RSPCA says recession could spark 'animal welfare catastrophe'

By Emily Liddell @em_liddellApprentice reporter
 

MORE than 170 horses were involved in welfare incidents in Hampshire during lockdown.

The RSPCA received 173 welfare calls regarding horses across Hampshire sparking fears a recession will bring a "welfare catastrophe".

As the microchipping of horses becomes compulsory in England this month, the RSPCA fears it will not be enough to prevent an impending horse welfare catastrophe.



As the charity launches its month-long rehoming drive, Adoptober, it reveals that nationally the number of horses in its care is already three times what it was at the start of the last recession in 2009, and said it is braced for huge numbers of abandoned and neglected horses as the country plunges into an even deeper financial downturn.


During the lockdown period of March 23 to September 8 alone, the RSPCA dealt with 4,479 incidents involving horses.

Last year the charity rehomed 242 horses, but almost 760 remain in the charity’s care to date, desperately needing new homes.

The RSPCA is expecting more horses to be abandoned or neglected as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and the deepening recession and is urging people who are looking to take on a horse to think about adopting one from the charity.




The charity is currently look for a loving home for four-year-old Welsh pony Poppet, who is currently at the RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre in Southampton.

Poppet was born in RSPCA care in 2016 after her mum was rescued by RSPCA Inspectors.

She is a sweet natured little mare who we think would make a lovely family pony as once she loves you she will do anything for you. She is looking for an experienced home where she can settle in and get to know her surroundings before she starts any ridden work.

Also in the Millbrook centre is one-year-old Piebald Cob gelding Jerry.

Jerry is a super sweet piebald yearling, cob, gelding. Jerry is good to catch, groom, lead and have his feet picked out.

He was rescued from Suffolk after being abandoned in a field earlier this year. He has so far proved to be a very straight forward young pony.

American Hindus deeply divided over Trump, Biden

HINDUISM IS ARYAN SUPREMACY
PTI | Oct 21, 2020, 

Donald Tump and Joe Biden

HOUSTON: The political divide between Hindu supporters of US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden is getting deeper with the presidential election less than two weeks away and the starting of early polls in some states.

In a sign of the growing political prominence of Hindus in America, the Trump and Biden campaigns are wooing this religious minority community like never before. Hinduism is the fourth largest faith in the US, representing approximately one per cent of the US population in 2016.

The Biden campaign in September launched 'Hindu Americans for Biden' in September, while the Trump campaign in August announced the formation of the 'Hindu Voices for Trump' as part of their efforts to attract the over two million members of the religious community in the US.

A virtual debate held on Sunday between American Hindu supporters of Trump and Biden brought the message home that there is a clear political divide among the community in the US.

While one group alleged that Biden "panders to Muslims", the other accused Trump of being a "racist".

The webinar titled '2020 Presidential Election: A debate on the American Hindu issues' was co-sponsored by the Hindu American Foundation, the Hindu American PAC, the HinduPACT and the HinduVote.

During the debate, Biden supporters alluded to the Obama-Biden administration's lifting of nuclear sanctions against India as a demonstration of Biden's pro-India stance, while Trump supporters brought to light how Biden as the senate foreign relations committee chair passed a bill pumping billions of dollars for improving Pakistan's economy, which ended up funding the Pakistan military and promoting terrorism across the border.

Trump supporters underlined that Pakistan honoured Biden with 'Hilal-i-Pakistan', the country's second-highest civil award. On the other hand, Trump, they said, named Pakistan a 'country of particular concern' for supporting cross-border terrorism and drastically cut the financial aid to the nation. They recalled that Hindus had asked the Obama administration to cut aid to Pakistan, but it was not done.

A much more direct question to the Biden team was about the party platform having sections on American Muslims, American Jewish, but "nothing clear cut about American Hindu community, not even a mention".

In response, the Biden team said the Democratic Party as a policy recognises "cultural communities" and not religious communities, thus, its policy towards "Indian American community" is on the platform.

Utsav Chakrabarty, a Trump supporter, said he had written at least six letters to the Democratic Party leadership, asking them to post a policy paper on American Hindus, but he never got any response. A Democratic Party operative, he claimed, told him that unless he made a contribution to the Biden campaign, nothing would change.

Tushar Dayagude, another Trump supporter, echoed Chakrabarty's assertion that campaign contribution was a must for Hindus to have their cause recognised in the Biden team.
Dayagude opined that Hindu members contributing to Trump's campaign was the reason Biden campaign ignored the community.

In this context, Srilekha Palle, a Trump supporter from Fairfox, Virginia, disputed the assertion that American Hindus largely donated only to the Trump campaign. Palle pointed out that a prominent Houston-based American Hindu raised USD 3.5 million from the community members in single night for Biden campaign.

Trump supporters said the Democrats have always "pandered to Muslims" and its support to the Hindu community was nothing more than a "tokenism".

To drive home their point, they cited the Diwali celebration at the White House in 2012 when Obama was the president. The supporters pointed out that the Democrats invited the Islamic Society of North America as one of the sponsors of the event and provided a platform to its spokesperson to speak at the Hindu religious festival.

Buttressing the point further, Trump supporters showed on the screen an "insensitive" image tweeted by Meena Harris, niece of Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The tweet has now been deleted by Meena, 35, who is a lawyer and a children's book author.
Meena had tweeted the image to greet Hindus on the ongoing festival of 'Navratri', which celebrates women power and the triumph of good over evil. In the image, Kamala Harris, depicted as goddess Durga, was seen killing President Trump, who was depicted as buffalo demon 'Mahishasura'. The image also showed Biden as a lion, the 'vahana' (vehicle) of the goddess.

Chakrabarty said the only outreach the Biden team has made to Hindus is this kind of "tokenism, which at best is cheap and hurtful and at its worst, creates Hindu phobia".

The Trump team at the debate also included Jay Kansara, a former director of governmental relations for the Hindu American Foundation in Washington DC, who played a key role in the Howdy Modi summit last year.

The Biden team panelists were Nish Acharya, who was Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Obama administration; and Niki Shah, a Hindu community organiser who worked closely on Hindu initiatives for former president Obama's faith-based council.
Asked why the Trump campaign did not respond to a questionnaire sent by the Hindu American Foundation PAC, while the Biden campaign did, Kansara said he found the questionnaire heavily biased against Trump and, therefore, advised the Trump campaign against responding to it.

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=HINDUISM+IS+FASCISM+

USA Today breaks tradition by endorsing Biden
'This is not normal election, and these are not normal times,' editorial board explains in first-ever support of candidate
News Service09:28 October 21, 2020

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden
Photograph: TOM BRENNER


USA Today, one of the largest US newspapers, announced its first-ever presidential endorsement Tuesday to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

"Four years ago, the Editorial Board — an ideologically and demographically diverse group of journalists that is separate from the news staff and operates by consensus — broke with tradition and took sides in the presidential race for the first time since USA TODAY was founded in 1982," the editorial board said in a statement.

"We urged readers not to vote for [US President] Donald Trump, calling the Republican nominee unfit for office because he lacked the 'temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents.'"

However, after 38-years, the board decided to support the election of Biden "unanimously" in the Nov. 3 elections, saying he offers "a shaken nation a harbor of calm and competence."

"If this were a choice between two capable major party nominees who happened to have opposing ideas, we wouldn’t choose sides. Different voters have different concerns. But this is not a normal election, and these are not normal times," the board wrote.

"This year, character, competence and credibility are on the ballot. Given Trump’s refusal to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power if he loses, so, too, is the future of America's democracy."

Claiming that the endorsement will not have any effect on news reports, the board concluded: "We may never endorse a presidential nominee again. In fact, we hope we'll never have to. "

Study of chess player performance over many years suggests brain peaks at age 35

by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A trio of researchers from Institut Polytechnique Paris, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat München, and Erasmus University has found evidence suggesting that cognitive abilities in humans peak at age 35 and begin to decline after age 45. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Anthony Strittmatter, Uwe Sunde and Dainis Zegners describe their study of chess player skill over a span of 125 years and what they found.

Prior research has shown that cognitive skills for most people begin to decline sometime during mid-life and continue to deteriorate for the rest of a person's life. In this new effort, the researchers have found a novel way to show such decline—by measuring the skills of professional chess players.

The work involved analyzing player performance over approximately 24,000 professional chess matches from the years 1890 to 2014. In all, they studied the moves of 4,294 players, 20 of whom were world champions—the other 4,274 were their opponents. The researchers' goal was to follow the skill level of each player over many years of their life to gage their skill level over time. They did this by comparing chess moves made by each player against optimal moves suggested by a computerized chess engine over the course of their career.

They found that performance for most players increased rapidly until they reached the age of 20—after that, their performance improvements slowed until reaching a peak at approximately age 35. Most of the players were able to maintain their peak playing abilities for approximately 10 years—after age 45, skills began to deteriorate. The researchers describe the data for a given individual as representing a "hump-shaped curve."

The researchers also found that player performance across the board has increased over the past 125 years, particularly among young people. They noted that performance rose sharply in the 1990s as chess enthusiasts gained access to computerized chess games, providing them with more accomplished opponents. They found that experience levels for most players rose, as well—in the modern age, professional chess players play a lot more matches than did those a century ago.


Researchers investigate how important intelligence and practice are in chess
More information: Anthony Strittmatter et al. Life cycle patterns of cognitive performance over the long run, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020).

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2006653117
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences



© 2020 Science X Network

Drinking green tea and coffee daily linked to lower death risk in people with diabetes

by British Medical Journal

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Drinking plenty of both green tea and coffee is linked to a lower risk of dying from any cause among people with type 2 diabetes, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

Drinking 4 or more daily cups of green tea plus 2 or more of coffee was associated with a 63% lower risk of death over a period of around 5 years, the findings show.

People with type 2 diabetes are more prone to circulatory diseases, dementia, cancer, and bone fractures. And despite an increasing number of effective drugs, lifestyle modifications, such as exercise and diet, remain a cornerstone of treatment.

Previously published research suggests that regularly drinking green tea and coffee may be beneficial for health because of the various bioactive compounds these beverages contain.

But few of these studies have been carried out in people with diabetes. The researchers therefore decided to explore the potential impact of green tea and coffee, separately and combined, on the risk of death among people with the condition.

They tracked the health of 4923 Japanese people (2790 men, 2133 women) with type 2 diabetes (average age 66) for an average of just over 5 years.

All of them had been enrolled in The Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, a multicentre prospective study looking at the effect of drug treatments and lifestyle on the lifespan of patients with type 2 diabetes.

They each filled in a 58-item food and drink questionnaire, which included questions on how much green tea and coffee they drank every day. And they provided background information on lifestyle factors, such as regular exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and nightly hours of sleep.

Measurements of height, weight and blood pressure were also taken, as were blood and urine samples to check for potential underlying risk factors.

Some 607 of the participants didn't drink green tea; 1143 drank up to a cup a day; 1384 drank 2-3 cups; and 1784 drank 4 or more. Nearly 1000 (994) of the participants didn't drink coffee; 1306 drank up to 1 cup daily; 963 drank a cup every day; while 1660 drank 2 or more cups.


During the monitoring period, 309 people (218 men, 91 women) died. The main causes of death were cancer (114) and cardiovascular disease (76).

Compared with those who drank neither beverage, those who drank one or both had lower odds of dying from any cause, with the lowest odds associated with drinking higher quantities of both green tea and coffee.

Drinking up to 1 cup of green tea every day was associated with 15% lower odds of death; while drinking 2-3 cups was associated with 27% lower odds. Getting through 4 or more daily cups was associated with 40% lower odds.

Among coffee drinkers, up to 1 daily cup was associated with 12% lower odds; while 1 cup a day was associated with 19% lower odds. And 2 or more cups was associated with 41% lower odds.

The risk of death was even lower for those who drank both green tea and coffee every day: 51% lower for 2-3 cups of green tea plus 2 or more of coffee; 58% lower for 4 or more cups of green tea plus 1 cup of coffee every day; and 63% lower for a combination of 4 or more cups of green tea and 2 or more cups of coffee every day.

This is an observational study, and as such, can't establish cause. And the researchers point to several caveats, including the reliance on subjective assessments of the quantities of green tea and coffee drunk.

Nor was any information gathered on other potentially influential factors, such as household income and educational attainment. And the green tea available in Japan may not be the same as that found elsewhere, they add.

The biology behind these observations isn't fully understood, explain the researchers. Green tea contains several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, including phenols and theanine, as well as caffeine.

Coffee also contains numerous bioactive components, including phenols. As well as its potentially harmful effects on the circulatory system, caffeine is thought to alter insulin production and sensitivity.

"This prospective cohort study demonstrated that greater consumption of green tea and coffee was significantly associated with reduced all-cause mortality: the effects may be additive," the researchers conclude.


Explore furtherCoffee linked to lower body fat in women
More information: Additive effects of green tea and coffee on all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, DOI: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001252
Provided by British Medical Journal
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Replacing asphalt with forest-type plants at daycare centers found to strengthen immune defenses in children

by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress

A daycare yard during the intervention. Credit: Marja Roslund

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in Finland and one in the Czech Republic has found that replacing asphalt in play areas at daycare centers with natural vegetation can lead to stronger immune defenses in the children at the centers. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes removing asphalt from play areas at several daycare centers and replacing it with forest floor vegetation, and what they found when they tested the children who attended the centers.

Prior research has suggested that one of the reasons for increased rates of autoimmune diseases in many parts of the world, such as inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, eczema and asthma, is lack of exposure to elements that push children's immune systems to respond. The thinking is that repeated exposure to natural elements like dust, dirt and pollen while young strengthens the immune system. Researchers have noted that children living in some urban areas are most at risk of missing out on such exposure and that might explain their higher rates of autoimmune diseases. In this new effort, the researchers sought to test this theory by changing the environment in which such children play—playgrounds at daycare centers in urban areas.

To learn more about the possible impact of exposure to natural elements, the researchers received permission to replace the asphalt at several daycare centers in two of Finland's major cities—and then to replace it with turf dug up from forest areas. In addition to forest floor sod, the researchers also brought forest shrubs, bushes and mosses. The children in the centers were then encouraged to play in the upgraded areas during their time outdoors. The children were all tested prior to installation of the natural material and then again 28 days afterward, for immune system markers.

The researchers acknowledge that their test group was small—just 75 children were participants—but suggest their striking results warranted publication of their findings. In addition to a large (a third higher than a control group) increase in skin biome, the researchers found positive changes to proteins and cells (regulatory T cells and anti-inflammatory cytokines) that have been found to be present in people with a more robust immune system. They suggest more work needs to be done to prove the benefits of such a change in the childhood environment and then to push for changes to be made.


Children who take steroids at increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, blood clots
More information: Marja I. Roslund et al. Biodiversity intervention enhances immune regulation and health-associated commensal microbiota among daycare children, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba2578
Journal information: Science Advances

Evidence review confirms CDC guidance about infectivity of novel coronavirus

by Oregon Health & Science University

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A review of dozens of studies by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and Oregon State University suggests that people may shed virus for prolonged periods, but those with mild or no symptoms may be infectious for no more than about 10 days. People who are severely ill from COVID-19 may be infectious for as long as 20 days.

That's in line with guidance provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, confirming recommendations for the length of time people should isolate following infection with SARS-CoV-2.

The review published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

"Detection of viral RNA may not correlate with infectivity since available viral culture data suggests shorter durations of shedding of viable virus," the authors write."Additional data is needed to determine the duration of shedding of viable virus and the implications for risk of transmission."

Researchers decided to conduct the review to gain more information on transmission and to help inform infection control practices, said co-author Monica Sikka, M.D., assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) in the OHSU School of Medicine.

"Even though people can shed virus for a prolonged period of time, the studies we reviewed indicated that live virus, which may predict infectiousness, was only detected up to nine days in people who had mild symptoms," Sikka said.

The researchers identified 77 studies worldwide, including 59 that had been peer-reviewed, and combed through the results. All studies reported assessments of viral shedding using standard methods to identify the virus by replicating it through a process called polymerase chain reaction, or PCR.

"Although PCR positivity can be prolonged, culture data suggests that virus viability is typically shorter in duration," the authors write.


Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: Lauren Fontana et al, Understanding Viral Shedding of SARS-CoV-2: Review of Current Literature, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (2020). 

DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.1273

Journal information: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

Provided by Oregon Health & Science University

GOP fundraiser Broidy pleads guilty to conspiracy

Case is related to a lobbying campaign on behalf of foreign billionaire

David Karp/Associated Press File photo:

 Elliott Broidy faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison, but will likely face a lower term of imprisonment when he is sentenced. The judge set Broidy’s sentencing for Feb. 12.

By CNN.COM WIRE SERVICE
PUBLISHED:  October 21, 2020 at 4:10 a.m.
By Kara Scannell | CNN

Elliott Broidy, a top Republican fundraiser involved in President Donald Trump’s 2016 inaugural committee, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy relating to a secret lobbying campaign to influence the Trump administration on behalf of a foreign billionaire in exchange for millions of dollars.

Broidy was charged earlier this month with conspiracy for failing to register and disclose his role in a lobbying effort aimed at stopping a criminal investigation into massive fraud at a Malaysian investment fund and advocating for the removal of a Chinese billionaire living in the US.

Broidy, who pleaded guilty in a cooperation deal with prosecutors, will forfeit $6.6 million.

According to Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, who read portions of the plea agreement during a virtual hearing, prosecutors at sentencing intend to raise Broidy’s lobbying efforts involving a Middle Eastern client in “its alleged support of terrorist activities.”

Broidy faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison, but will likely face a lower term of imprisonment when he is sentenced. The judge set Broidy’s sentencing for February 12.

Prosecutors alleged in court filings that Broidy and his cohorts’ goal was to “make millions of dollars by leveraging Broidy’s access to and perceived influence with the President and his administration.” Broidy was paid $9 million, a prosecutor said, and had an additional arrangement for a success fee as high as $75 million, which he never received. Broidy said he paid one of his co-conspirators $2.4 million.

As part of the scheme Broidy sought to arrange a golf game between the Malaysian prime minister and Trump to enable the Malaysian leader to bring up the criminal investigation, according to prosecutors. No golf game ever occurred but the prime minister did meet with Trump, the prosecutor said. Broidy also met with Trump and falsely told his co-conspirators that he had raised the investigation with Trump, prosecutors added.

In addition, prosecutors said Broidy drafted a memo to the US attorney general to try seek the removal of the Chinese billionaire living in the US. That lobbying effort was also not successful.