Center for American Progress

Najib’s US Visit Sends a Troubling Message on Rule of Law
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Najib’s US Visit Sends a Troubling Message on Rule of Law

Authors Trevor Sutton and Brian Harding examine why President Donald Trump's meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak sends a demoralizing message on democracy and corruption.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak meeting with President Donald Trump today is the first White House visit by a Malaysian head of state since George W. Bush’s first term in office. But while we will hear more about the actual deliverables from the visit, for many Malaysians, including Najib himself, the most important outcome of the meeting has nothing to do with questions of bilateral policy. Rather, the most significant consequence of the Trump-Najib summit will be to burnish Najib’s reputation while being under active investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Diplomat. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Trevor Sutton

Senior Fellow

Brian Harding

Director, East and Southeast Asia