Trump pal Elliott Broidy attempts legal ‘jujitsu’ in bid to sue Qatar over hacked emails: report

Former Republican National Committee finance chairman Elliott Broidy is employing an unusual legal tactic in his legal battle with Qatar, Politico reported Friday.

Broidy, a longtime ally of Trump who served as a vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee and vice chairman of Trump's inauguration, claims Qatar "orchestrated the hacking and release of his emails in retaliation for his work for rivals in United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia."

The Qatari government successfully blocked a previous effort by Broidy by invoking the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which shields foreign governments from lawsuits in U.S. courts.

"In another shot at the emirate, Broidy's attorneys have seized on a suit filed against him in August by an obscure travel company that asserted its Qatar-focused business was damaged by what the firm said was misinformation Broidy spread about Qatari ties to terrorism," Politico reported. "In a legal filing late Thursday, Broidy's attorneys argue the Delaware-based company — Mosafer — is acting as a front for the Qatari government. Broidy's team contends that makes the suit a vehicle for him to countersue Qatar over its alleged role in the hacking and distribution of his emails to the media in 2018."

Mosafer is being represented by the law firm Larson, LLP, which was founded by former Trump National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien.

Politico interviewed former State Department official Mark Feldman, who said it appeared Broidy was attempting to take advantage of a 1983 Supreme Court decision that allows an exception where a judge can overrule the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

"It sounds very tangled. It also sounds very imaginative and tenuous to me," Feldman said.