Yesterday, something happened very far away from the trial of Tom Barrack that is completely related to it.
MBZ, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, met with Vladimir Putin. MBZ has made no secret of the fact that he’s livid that this trial is going on—because it makes the Emiratis look as if they are in fact on trial, too. As for the Emiratis’ closest allies, the Saudis? (MBS, the Saudi crown prince, has popped up quite a bit in the trial in a not-especially-flattering light.) MBS has also turned to Putin and essentially given the finger to the Biden administration by raising the price of oil right ahead of the midterms.
Is the Barrack trial worth all this?