Mr. Trump sorely needs an Asian ally who can help on both fronts. Simply avoiding arrest on a United States visit might seem a low bar for a world leader. The Justice Department said last year that the source of $731 million in Mr. Najib’s accounts was actually the Malaysian government fund. While Mr. Najib might wish for Mr. Trump to halt the Justice Department investigation, that would seem unlikely given the department’s independence. Both the Malaysian leader and Mr. Trump have removed top officials from their roles, but Mr. Najib has also taken much more aggressive steps to protect his hold on power.

Source: New York Times September 09, 2017 19:02 UTC