Reuters reported last week that Thomas Barrack, the current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, was poised to pick up a second job as Donald Trump’s new special envoy for Syria. The report came on the heels of the president’s surprise announcement that he was lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, which were originally imposed during Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which came to an abrupt end late last year.

As it turns out, Reuters was correct: Trump announced by way of his social platform on Wednesday that Barrack will, in fact, take on this second diplomatic role. One day later, as The New York Times reported, the administration’s newest envoy landed in Damascus.

The new U.S. envoy to Syria made his first visit to the country on Thursday, a sign of warming relations as he called for the country’s new leadership to work toward a nonaggression pact with Israel. The special envoy, Thomas Barrack, was appointed by President Trump just last week, days after Mr. Trump said that he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria.

Time will tell whether Barrack’s efforts bear fruit, but it’s worth taking a moment to note why his name might sound familiar.

After Trump’s first election victory in 2016, there were a series of difficult questions surrounding the Republican’s inaugural committee, which faced scrutiny — and subpoenas — from federal prosecutors over the first half of Trump’s presidency, specifically on how the committee spent its considerable resources. As the investigation intensified, there were concerns that the inaugural committee’s chairman — Barrack — might face real legal trouble.

As it turned out, that investigation did not lead to an indictment, but in 2021, Barrack was criminally charged by the Justice Department, which accused Trump’s longtime friend of unlawfully “advancing the interests” of the United Arab Emirates during the Republican campaign and administration.

Specifically, the California billionaire was accused of “acting and conspiring to act as agents” of the UAE between 2016 and 2018. He was also charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements to federal law enforcement agents.

In late 2022, he was acquitted — a jury in New York found him not guilty on all counts — but it stood to reason that the underlying controversy and his criminal trial might have some effect on his reputation.

Nevertheless, two years later, his longtime friend won the 2024 election, and Barrack now has two important diplomatic positions.

This report updates our related earlier coverage.