TRUMP PEOPLE: "…[Thomas J.] Barrack’s close friendship with Donald Trump has made him one of the most influential Californians in the inner circle of the president-elect. Trump put Barrack in charge of planning his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Barrack is the founder and executive chairman of Colony Capital Inc., a Los Angeles investment giant that manages more than $60 billion in assets, much of it for Arab clients…
Over coffee at his Santa Monica mansion, Barrack said he declined a top role in Trump’s administration, telling the president-elect he could serve him better as a friend with 'no skin in the game.'
Barrack served on Trump’s economic advisory council during the campaign. He also urged Trump to dial down the bombast, saying the volleys between him and Hillary Clinton were 'disheartening.'
At the same time, Barrack started a super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, which spent more than $17 million slamming Clinton over donations that her family foundation got from what the ads called 'Wall Street insiders' and 'misogynistic regimes.' One of the spots accused her of looking the other way 'on Saudi funding of terrorism.' "
– “Who are Trump’s friends? One is Thomas Barrack, a Californian who could shape his views on the Middle East,” The Los Angeles Times, Jan 9, 2017, Michael Finnegan, 1/9/2017