As Democrats are politically targeting former President Donald Trump for allegedly paying hush money during the 2016 presidential election, President Obama's "illegal foreign influence operation" is flying under the radar.
Earlier this week, actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court that Malaysian financier Jho Low revealed his plans to donate up to $30 million to help Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.
"It was a causal conversation about what party he was in support of; I told him what party I was in support of. And he told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party," DiCaprio told the Washington jury. "It was a significant sum… something to the tune of $20-30 million. I said, 'Wow, that's a lot of money!'"
Low allegedly recruited Prakazrel "Pras" Michel, the founding member of the iconic 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees, to help funnel a large amount of money to Obama's reelection campaign; however, under U.S. federal election law, foreigners cannot donate to presidential campaigns.
Low is facing federal criminal charges for allegedly embezzling $4.5 billion from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. DiCaprio is a crucial witness due to his relationship with the financier, who also helped fund the actor's 2013 movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street."
In 2018, the Justice Department reached a civil settlement with the film's production company, which forfeited $60 million, which was found to have been stolen from 1MDB. Since then, DiCaprio has been cooperating with the U.S. government.
According to prosecutors, Michel could wire the money from Low's account into Obama's campaign without being detected. They also believe he worked with others to persuade the Trump Administration to stop investigating Low.
Since the news broke, Low has been a fugitive and is believed to be hiding in China. Other people involved have been charged with bribery, money laundering, and other crimes.