Image by Getty Images

Disgraced Republican fundraiser Elliot Broidy used his connections to urge President Trump to play a game of golf with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Razak, who is under investigation by American prosecutors for the alleged embezzlement of $3.5 billion, was denied the customary Oval Office photo during his visit with the president last year because of worry from White House aides.

And despite Broidy’s push, he wound up not getting to hit the links with the First Duffer, either.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Broidy, who recently quit as a top Republican National Committee leader after it was revealed that he paid $1.6M in hush money to a Playboy centerfold, may have hoped to gain access to a lucrative Malaysian contract for his private defense company, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

Broidy reportedly personally appealed to Trump in June requesting a one-on-one golf date with Razak during the prime minister’s upcoming Washington visit, and “the president told me he would be happy to play golf with the PM,” Broidy wrote in an email to the White House chief of staff, John Kelly. But Kelly apparently nixed the date.

Trump could have faced criticism about being indifferent to corruption had he accepted the golf date. The Justice Department reportedly filed a lawsuit seeking to seize $540 million in American assets purchased with money Razak allegedly stole.

Contact Haley Cohen at [email protected]

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount