The Washington Post newspaper reported today (Sunday) that American intelligence prepared a secret report detailing the “intensive efforts of the United Arab Emirates to manipulate the political system in the United States”. Sources privy to the details said that “the United Arab Emirates tried to influence the foreign policy of the United States, by aligning its interests.”
In the meantime, these sources believed that the report showed how the United Arab Emirates, through their influence on the various governments in the US, sought to “overcome weaknesses in the American government system”, by donating to election systems and large corporations. Documents from the US Federal Court have previously shown that the United Arab Emirates financed the election campaign of the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, Hillary Clinton, with millions of dollars, through illegal means, through her adviser, George Nader.
“The Washington Post” additionally reported that the National Intelligence Council compiled the report, and briefed senior officials in Washington, to work on guiding decision-making related to the Middle East in general, and the United Arab Emirates in particular. It was also reported that “some of the influence operations described in the report are known to security officials National, but these activities, of the United Arab Emirates, succeeded due to Washington’s unwillingness to reform and undermine foreign influence.”
In addition, the report showed that according to Ministry of Justice records, the country has spent more than $154 million on lobbyists since 2016, and hundreds of millions of dollars on donations to American universities, many of which produced “papers that supported the interests of the United Arab Emirates.”
“Although the UAE has maintained strong bipartisan support, it has built an especially close relationship with the administration of former President Donald Trump, which agreed to sell $23 billion worth of F-35 fighter jets,” according to the paper. However, the deal was met with opposition from Democrats in Congress and did not move forward, but it is supported by the current Biden administration.