A COMPANY set up by a former aide of US President Donald Trump has been paid US$250,000 (RM1.07 million) to lobby on behalf of the government of Malaysia.

The Daily Beast cited a US Department of Justice’s National Security Division filing that was made last week that registered The 45 Group as an agent of the “Republic of Malaysia”  via the Godfrey Group Ltd.  The filing lists the addresses of the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya and the Godfrey Group in Johor Baru. The filing records that the 45 Group was paid US$250,000 on May 9 for the purpose of “Government relations and public relations services”.

The record also states that “The 45 Group will assist the Godfrey Group Ltd with  government relations and public relations services in support of the Government of Malaysia and strengthening the US-Malaysian relationship”.

The 45 Group was set up by Healy Baumgardner-Nardone, who was a press of aide of Trump during the presidential campaign. She had resigned in September last year over unspecified differences with the campaign leadership, the Daily Beast reported, but has maintained close relationships with the US president’s inner circle. 

The Daily Beast reported that Baumgardner-Nardone was not the first former Trump associate to register as a lobbyist. However, Trump had campaigned on a platform of cracking down on special interest groups, as shown in his mantra of “draining the swamp”.

The DoJ filing did not provide details on what issues the 45 Group would work on, but the Daily Beast noted that Malaysia had sought to refute claims by Trump that the country engages in unfair trade practices. In March, Malaysia was also one of more than dozen countries of “trade cheaters” that Trump directed the Department of Commerce to crack down on.

The Daily Beast also reported that Prime Minister Najib Razak was also allegedly implicated in a corruption scandal involving 1Malaysia Development Bhd, and that his stepson was one of the defendants in a DoJ lawsuit seeking to recover assets allegedly purloined from 1MDB.

Najib had sought to play up his relationship with Trump after the US presidential election in Nov 8, posting on Facebook that : “Great to reconnect with President-elect Trump following his outstanding win.”

Najib had said that he first met Trump several years ago when the prime minster was in New York for the United Nations Summit. They had played a round of golf, and Najib keeps a ball signed by Trump,: “To my favorite Prime Minister. Great win!”. – May 26, 2017.