Trump tied to firm that paid FBI’s Biden informant, says report

An American company that allegedly paid anindicted FBI informant accused of lying about Joe Biden and his son’s business dealings has ties to former President Donald Trump, according to a report.

Economic Transformation Technologies (ETT), the company, paid Alexander Smirnov, the once-FBI informant, $600,000 in September 2020, a February court filing states, reportedThe Guardian.

This hefty payment was made “in exchange for a stake in an Israel-based crypto trading platform” that Mr Smirnov was trying to launch, the Wall Street Journal reported in February.

The document also notes that months prior, in June, Mr Smirnov first began telling “fabrications” to the agency. Mr Smirnov has since been charged for these lies.

ETT’s CEO is Christopher Condon, a shareholder in the London-based ETT Investment Holding Limited, which has since been dissolved, The Guardian reported,

The other two shareholders, Shahal Khan and Farooq Arjomand are connected to Mr Trump through the former president’s associates, according to the outlet.

Mr Arjomand is the former chair and current board member of Damac Properties in Dubai, to which Mr Trump has previously been tied.

The founder of Damac Properties, Hussain Sajwani, previously told Forbes in 2016: “We made a deal with Trump as an organization; they know how to run golf courses…We stay away from politics.” Mr Trump has in turn called Mr Sajwani a “very amazing man.”

In 2018, Mr Khan purchased the Plaza Hotel — which was once owned by Mr Trump.

On top of this, Mr Khan is CEO of BurTech Acquisition Group, which describes itself as a “blank check company.” A man listed as a BurTech adviser in 2021, Patrick Orlando, also served as the CEO and chair of Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC)— also