This one could have gone in a bunch of different threads.
Remember that "peace" deal that Trump negotiated that seemed pointless but so many conservatives crowed about? Well, surprise surprise, it appears to have been grift on top of grift.
Here's the document prepared by the House Oversight Committee.
Quote:
Key Points
Significantly, the new documents obtained by the Committee show:
- In 2015 to 2016, General Michael Flynn worked closely with companies seeking to profit from the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, including by serving as an advisor to IP3, as well as IP3's predecessor company. New documents show that in 2016, General Flynn informed his business partners about upcoming interactions with officials in Russia and the Middle Eastincluding Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-Saudi Deputy Crown Prince MBSand offered to use these contacts to further IP3's business interests.
- On May 26, 2016, candidate Donald Trump was scheduled to give a major energy speech. New documents show that Mr. BarrackDonald Trump's personal friend, informal advisor, inauguration chairman, and campaign donorshared a draft of the speech with Saudi and Emirati officials to coordinate pro-Gulf language. Mr. Barrack 5 sent the draft to Rashid Al-Malik, a businessman from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who circulated the draft among Emirati and Saudi officials and then passed suggestions back to Mr. Barrack, who conveyed them to Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
- IP3 officials traveled to Saudi Arabia in December 2016after the election and before the inaugurationto solicit a $120 million investment from then-Saudi Deputy Crown Prince MBS in exchange for a 10% stake in IP3. The documents suggest that IP3 was soliciting these funds by highlighting its close ties to General Flynn and the support of the incoming Trump Administration for IP3's plan to transfer U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. In direct communications with General Flynn, IP3 officials wrote that "much of our confidence derives from how emphatically positive your message expressing yourand the President Elect'ssupport for the Marshall Plan, was received by the leadership of KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]."
- President Trump and Jared Kushner met with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince MBS on March 14, 2017. In the days after this meeting, IP3 officials touted that this meeting "established the framework for our unique opportunity to take the next steps with IP3 and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and referenced a "partnership to acquire Westinghouse between IP3 and Saudi Arabia." IP3 officials continued to promote their plan with high-level stakeholdersincluding Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn, and top NSC officials.
- Mr. Barrack, his company, and IP3 discussed plans to join with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and other Middle East financial interests to bid for Westinghouse at the same time they sought and obtained support for this acquisition strategy at the highest levels of the White House. IP3 officials met with Senior Adviser to the President Jared Kushner and briefed him on their plan for Westinghouse to be acquired through foreign investments. Mr. Kushner expressed that he planned to convene senior-level interagency meetings to discuss IP3's proposal and Westinghouse.
- Mr. Barrack's company and IP3 collaborated with financial firms Apollo and Blackstone on an ultimately unsuccessful bid to purchase Westinghouse. Mr. Barrack sent Blackstone CEO and Trump campaign donor Steve Schwarzman a memorandum stating, "Our GCC allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have committed to invest in the Westinghouse acquisition and are willing to concurrently lock in Westinghouse as the primary partner on the 30+ reactors expected to be constructed in their countries in the coming decade." The memorandum described this arrangement as an opportunity to acquire Westinghouse "in a whole company transaction through a US-led consortium with our allies from the GCC."
- In 2018, after Mr. Barrack learned that his bid with Apollo and Blackstone had been unsuccessfuland Brookfield Asset Management announced that it planned to acquire WestinghouseMr. Barrack inquired with Brookfield's CEO about joining his 6 company's venture. Mr. Barrack then introduced UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba to Brookfield's CEO, emphasizing the "great opportunity for Westinghouse and the Emirates to join forces on new initiatives."
- In early 2018, Westinghouse unilaterally terminated IP3 from a separate agreement for a consortium of companies that submitted the "Team USA" bid to Saudi Arabia for the contract to build nuclear reactors. Westinghouse reportedly expressed concerns that "IP3's actions may create a faulty assumption that IP3 is in charge." In response, IP3 joined with the Korean Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO)'s bid to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia using U.S. nuclear technology.
- Throughout 2018, IP3 continued to leverage its connections with the Trump Administration, holding meetings at the White House and with other agencies. IP3 officials boasted of "unique access" to President Trump and senior White House officials, disparaged growing bipartisan congressional efforts to limit the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, and characterized the "Gold Standard" of prohibiting Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium for weapons as an obstacle to be "overcome."
- IP3's efforts to influence the Trump Administration and profit from transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia continue to this day. In February 2019, IP3 orchestrated a meeting with President Trump and nuclear industry executives at the White House. IP3 also planned a meeting with National Security Advisor John Bolton in March 2019, but it was cancelled because of "legal and ethical concerns." Two years earlier, NSC Legal Advisor John Eisenberg had ordered NSC employees to stop working on IP3-related matters due to conflicts of interest and potential violations of federal law.
This will be interesting to follow.