: Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt has been accused of buying access to Donald Trump by a long-time employee of the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
After the meeting, Butler claims Pratt got in a car with Butler and his chief of staff, who asked him: “How did it go?” “So it was clear to you that he was basically seeking access to Trump?” Collins asked, referencing claims that Pratt spent $US1 million for tickets to a Mar-a-Lago New Year’s Eve gala – essentially paying a massive mark-up for tickets that Butler claimed “might cost $1000 to $1500 per person”.
While Trump has repeatedly denied the claims, Butler disagreed and outlined how he unknowingly participated in transporting boxes of classified documents. Pratt talking about his relationship with “mafia”-like Trump and his claim of a $US1 million payment to Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.The covert recordings also reveal that Pratt had claimed Trump disclosed non-public details about US military action in Iraq and a private conversation with Iraq’s leader.
The Australian businessman could now be one of dozens of witnesses in the trial against Trump, although the starting court date is yet to be determined.