Article snippet: Federal prosecutors are investigating whether foreign donors illegally channeled money into reported Thursday. People familiar with the inquiry told the paper that prosecutors are probing whether the alleged donations were made in an attempt to buy influence over U.S. policy. The investigation is focused on whether people from Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, disguised donations they made to both funds by using straw donors, the Times reported. Federal law prohibits foreign contributions to federal campaigns, political action committees and inaugural funds. Multiple teams of prosecutors are reportedly inquiring into possible foreign donations to Trump's inaugural fund and the super PAC, according to the paper. Prosecutors from New York and from special counsel MORE's team have reportedly been asking witnesses about whether people from Middle Eastern nations have contributed money. Thomas Barrack Jr., a financier with close ties to Trump, raised money for both funds, according to the Times. “Tom has never talked with any foreign individual or entity for the purposes of raising money for or obtaining donations related to either the campaign, the inauguration or any such political activity,” Owen Blicksilver, a spokesman for Barrack told the Times. The super PAC, Rebuilding America Now, was created in 2016 when Trump's campaign was cash-strapped and failing to garner funds from major Republican donors, the Times ... Link to the full article to read more