Trump Officials Tried To Rush Nuclear Technology To Saudis, House Panel Finds
The Trump administration sought to rush the transfer of American nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia in potential violation of the law, a new report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee alleges.
Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings' staff issued an "interim staff" report Tuesday, citing "multiple whistleblowers" who raised ethical and legal concerns about the process.
"They have warned about political appointees ignoring directives from top ethics advisers at the White House who repeatedly and unsuccessfully ordered senior Trump administration officials to halt their efforts," the report states. "They have also warned of conflicts of interest among top White House advisers that could implicate federal criminal statutes."
The committee's report alleges that the major drivers behind the effort to transfer U.S. nuclear technology were retired Gen. Michael Flynn, who served as the president's national security adviser, and Thomas Barrack, who chaired Trump's inauguration committee. Flynn was fired in February 2017 for lying about conversations with the Russian ambassador to Vice President Pence and the FBI.
For about seven months in 2016, including during the presidential transition, Flynn served as an adviser to IP3 International, a private company seeking to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia.
The whistleblowers told the committee that Flynn continued to advocate for IP3's plan even after he joined the White House as the president's national security adviser in 2017.
The Atomic Energy Act requires that Congress approve any transfer of nuclear technology to a foreign country. The committee's report states that a senior director at the National Security Council (NSC), Derek Harvey, "reportedly ignored ... warnings and insisted that the decision to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia had already been made."
The NSC's lawyers realized that Flynn had a possible conflict of interest that could violate the law, the whistleblowers said, and told NSC staff to stop working on the nuclear technology transfer plan. Despite Flynn's firing in February 2017, the plan appeared to continue to progress with Barrack's support.
The committee announced that it intends to launch an investigation into this matter "to determine whether the actions being pursued by the Trump administration are in the national security interests of the United States, or, rather, serve those who stand to gain financially as a result of this potential change in U.S. foreign policy."
Shortly after the release of the report, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., announced that his panel would be coordinating with Cummings' staff to explore these allegations.
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From the report:
I heard about this earlier.
They were told to stop several times by lawyers yet they still kept pressing and continuing.
I didn't understand this push and need to give the Saudis nuclear technology.
Follow the money...
The report is scathing.
I keep thinking that somehow little Jared is involved. The Saudi prince is his buddy.
Dear Friend Dulay: Its all about the Benjamin's.
Now it's our turn to say it.
P&AB.
Enoch.
You might be called something for saying that. haha
Laughs and nods.
Well that was one interesting read....I'm sure some will jump to the defense of Flynn. (he pleaded guilty to protect his son) song and dance.
Follow the money it could lead to some interesting places.
Trump to Christie "where's my efffing money"?
We don't need transition training- your stealing my money !!!
Ethics training? We don't need no stinking ethics training.....your wasting my money!!!!
Upon Straubs resignation, Mr Trump assigned the lead OGE Counsel, David Apol as Acting Director of OGE, in July of 2017. He is still acting in this role.
No permanent Director has been nominated or confirmed by the Senate.
The OGE has also faded from the news as have complaints of conflicts of interest by Ivanka, Jared, and current WH staff who were lobbyist who do not have waivers, or staffers who have left the WH to become lobbyists.
What did we expect when Trump & Kushner owe billions to foreign interests?
The malfeasance and corruption of this administration are unprecedented...