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House Opens Inquiry Into Proposed US Nuclear Venture In Saudi Arabia (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: President Trump's former national security adviser and other White House officials pushed a venture to bring nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia over repeated legal and ethical warnings that potential conflicts of interest around the plan could put American security at risk, concluded a new report from House Democrats released on Tuesday. The 24-page report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee outlined actions taken in the early weeks of the Trump administration to secure government backing to have American companies build dozens of nuclear power plants across Saudi Arabia, potentially at the risk of spreading nuclear weapons technology. But House Democrats said there was evidence that as recently as last week, the White House was still considering the proposal.
Claims presented by whistle-blowers and White House documents obtained by the committee show that the company backing the nuclear plan, IP3 International, and its allies in the White House were working so closely that the company sent a draft memo to the former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, to circulate just days after the inauguration. Mr. Flynn had worked on the plan for IP3 during the Trump campaign and transition, the Democrats said, and continued to advocate for it in the White House. Even after Mr. Flynn left the White House in February 2017, officials on the National Security Council pushed ahead, the Democrats said, ignoring advice from the N.S.C.'s ethics counsel and other lawyers to cease all work on the plan because of potentially illegal conflicts. At a March 2017 meeting, a National Security Council aide tried to revive the IP3 plan "so that Jared Kushner can present it to the President for approval," the Democratic report said, a reference to Mr. Trump's son-in-law and top adviser. The draft memo also referenced another close Trump associate, Thomas J. Barrack, who served as chairman of the president's inaugural committee. It said that Mr. Trump had appointed Mr. Barrack as a special representative to implement the plan, which it called "the Middle East Marshall Plan." The memo also directed agencies to support Mr. Barrack's efforts.
Claims presented by whistle-blowers and White House documents obtained by the committee show that the company backing the nuclear plan, IP3 International, and its allies in the White House were working so closely that the company sent a draft memo to the former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, to circulate just days after the inauguration. Mr. Flynn had worked on the plan for IP3 during the Trump campaign and transition, the Democrats said, and continued to advocate for it in the White House. Even after Mr. Flynn left the White House in February 2017, officials on the National Security Council pushed ahead, the Democrats said, ignoring advice from the N.S.C.'s ethics counsel and other lawyers to cease all work on the plan because of potentially illegal conflicts. At a March 2017 meeting, a National Security Council aide tried to revive the IP3 plan "so that Jared Kushner can present it to the President for approval," the Democratic report said, a reference to Mr. Trump's son-in-law and top adviser. The draft memo also referenced another close Trump associate, Thomas J. Barrack, who served as chairman of the president's inaugural committee. It said that Mr. Trump had appointed Mr. Barrack as a special representative to implement the plan, which it called "the Middle East Marshall Plan." The memo also directed agencies to support Mr. Barrack's efforts.
Pretty damn sure Jussie Smollett pretty much made a mockery of the claim that the media isn't biased
Come on ;/
Are they implying that Arabs cannot be trusted with nuclear materials? So intolerant and hateful...
The US is freaking out about Iran and their nuclear ambitions (and rightly so), but they will build nukes all over saudi arabia, the perpetrators of 911?
How does that make any sense what so ever?
A violation of the Atomics Act, completely rejected and rebuffed by the Security Council, and yet still being pushed despite secretly set to enrich Trump's cronies. #Drain the swamp and sell the country to the Saudis.
A nation with what is perhaps one of the largest reserves of oil an gas, gobs of sunlight, and still plans to build nuclear power. This should be a clue that they do not believe they can support their economy without nuclear power. Why else would they bother?
Maybe some one could claim it's to get nuclear weapons. I'm pretty sure they got that already without advertising it with nuclear power.
If Saudi Arabia needs nuclear then so does the rest of the world.
Aluminium and Steel from Canada? National Security Risk.
Wahhabi Nuclear? Potential profit!
The quickest way to end global warming is to spread the use of nuclear power.
If you are against nuclear power, you are for global warming. That is simply all there is to it.
So we have the strange dilemma, that Trump is greatly supporting the efforts to fight global warming, and all liberals are now opposed... the same liberals who wanted to give Iran access to nuclear weapons and the funds to develop them.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Literally nothing. He's giving nuclear technology to a nation that hates Israel and funds and supplies terrorists.
They still 100% support him unconditionally.
Bush gave the Saudis weapons, Obama gave the Saudis a TON of weapons. After all that some power plants seem pretty tame.
Not that I support this nonsense. We shouldn't be doing ANY business with the Saudis while they're carrying out a genocide in Yemen.
Transfer nuclear weapons tech? Doesn't that depend on the type of Nuclear reactor/plant? Someone chime in, but aren't there designs that have limited utility to producing nuclear weapons? (Dirty bombs are not the issue here, the Saudis could have dozens of those already)
nuclear power != manufacture nuclear weapons.
Your assertion that Obama "gave Iran the bomb" by getting them to agree to halt production and open themselves to inspections.... is beyond dishonest, you're actually a lying traitor faggot propagandist at that point.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_nuclear_deal_framework
Learn to read, Trump traitors. - Or prison is going to be that much less enlightening for you.
Learn to read yourself. This is about (A) nuclear power, as the summary notes, and (B) my own personal observation that everyone complaining now was very, very quiet when we were giving money to Iron to help support a much more direct nuclear power -> nuclear weapons route.
It's fine if you want to complain now about Saudi Arabia getting nuclear weapons - as long as you were complaining then.
Personally I am on the fence about SA getting nuclear weapons, but I still support helping them obtain nuclear power plants with oversight. At least they would ACTUALLY let us monitor, unlike Iran.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
that I want to see.
A few Kt or Mt worth? OK
You also know nothing about this.
Democrats have such twisted viewpoints.
It's OK to help the nation that habitually shouts,"Death to America" build nuclear facilities with the full knowledge that they intend to build nukes, but nuclear power to Saudi Arabia is a non-starter with them.
Twisted Fucks, them Democrats.
nuclear power plants != manufacture nuclear weapons.
Cool. You picked up on the ruse.
Iran said that before you did, though.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
No, this is about Uranium One and why the news media is mum about it, yet immediately goes ape-shit over (uncorroborated) allegations that Trump might possibly think about selling nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia.
This story is going to blow up in your faces, libtards.
Your assertion that Obama "gave Iran the bomb" by getting them to agree to halt production and open themselves to inspections.... is beyond dishonest, you're actually a lying traitor faggot propagandist at that point.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_nuclear_deal_framework
Learn to read, Trump traitors. - Or prison is going to be that much less enlightening for you.
You're a fucking idiot. Yeah, you are.
Obama was a FOOL over Middle East policy. Literally, a FOOL:
Syrian regime linked to over 300 chemical attacks – report
The Syrian regime and government-backed militias have carried out over 300 chemical attacks in the war-torn country, according to a report published Sunday.
The research, published by the Global Public Policy Institute, shows there were at least 336 chemical attacks over the course of the civil war in Syria, with 98 percent of them carried out by President Bashar Assad’s regime. The remaining 2% of attacks could be attributed to the Islamic State terrorist group.
Your boy Obumbles created a "red line" and said that if Syria used chemical and crossed that red line, the US would do something.
So, tell us, bright boy. What did Obumbles do about Syrian use of chemical weapons?
Yeah, nothing.
And now you want to believe Obumble's claims about what Iran would do are credible?
Grow a brain. You need to.
Gee, let's think about this some more. Who is the major power supporting Syria? Oh, yeah, Iran. Who did Obumbles hand a path to nuclear weapons to? Oh, yeah, Iran again.
You really want to go down the path of "I don't like this policy, therefore it's treason"? Obumbles is the one vulnerable there.
The answer is no and no.
You failed
Fake news doesn't want to talk about the Uranium One deal though. I wonder why?
Hey Anonymous Coward, the mainstream media discussed it extensively at the time.
For example:
https://www.latimes.com/nation...
Problem was their fact-based analysis didn't reinforce your lies, so you decried it as "FAKE NEWS!"
He's giving nuclear technology to a nation that hates Israel
I guess you are kind of behind the times, Saudi Arabia has had a bit of a leadership turnover and now at the prompting of the U.S. supports Israel.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
You are an advocate child molestation then. Typical democrat perv.
You have no idea what you're blathering about, and never have.
They will just buy it from some other country if not from us. We have no reason not to do business with them, unless we just don't want to make money.
I do not belong to the church of the lowercase 'i'
Learn to read before you spout Ken Doll. This is about the ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. You know nothing about this and your attempt to whattabout climate change is duly noted, you stupid and dishonest illiterate cunt.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOUR LIES AND PROPAGANDA ILLITERATE NAZI FAGGOT KEN DOLL UNTIL YOU DIE
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING. Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING. Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
Here's the truth: the current logic of Trump and company is to accuse very loudly "the other side" of precisely the crimes they're engaged in. This is intended to later muddy the waters, to issue call backs to "why weren't *they* investigated?", and generally underplay the outrage by making it something the public has felt for years and felt frustrated because nothing was done against "those" people. Having said all that, I wonder how pizza-gate will turn out.
Every school, every church, every group meeting, and every other place where a parent is not right beside their child all the time, the child is being molested. Good to know. Seriously, you failed.
PS - Seriously, if anything you're accusing border patrol of molesting the child by removing them from what may be their parent which according to you is the only person who can be guardian to them in such a fashion to avoid molestation. Let's ignore how many parents molest their children in that argument. But, yes, you had to go off on a stupid tangent instead of just answering the obvious "No and no".
I don't defend this
I was disappointed in Trump also when I read a headline saying he was giving them nuclear weapons.
But when I read the actual details, as per usual the fact is Trump is doing nothing wrong and giving someone access to clean nuclear power is quite a lot different from giving them nuclear weapons. Especially Saudi Arabia which is one of the more responsible nations in the region (yes even AFTER assassinating a kind-of journalist, they are one of the better ones!).
I think Trump has pretty piss poor performance in the middle east policy.
Based on what? He's the first president in ages that has other arab countries stating to side with Israel, and in addition helping defend the region from Iran. Trump has not started any wars there and avoided much expansion into Syria, unlike Obama who destroyed Libya with Hillary Clinton's help - a peaceful nation that I was planning to visit before they fucked it up beyond hope of salvation.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Woosh!
To be fair, Saudi Arabia is on the list of Approved Trump Dictators. They are very strong, powerful and bigly. Mohammed "Bonesaw" Salman's actions in a SA embassy in Turkey proved it. Trump likes a dab hand with a bonesaw!
It all started when the Saudis allow Trump to fondle their glowing balls. You can see how that might sway the man.
AC turn key export grade nuclear reactors cant do easy on the side nuclear weapons production lines.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
They recently cut oil shipments to the lowest levels in years - no reason they should need another energy source. China should have some surplus solar panels for cheap. If they burn the oil, then they're first to fry in the 150F summers too.
You know nothing and you will die irrelevant. France started the military action against Libya. Learn to read someday clueless faggot.
Trump alone commands you to call any news source that is critical of him or isn't critical of his enemies Fake News and you obey like a trained mindless drone. Did you ever consider for even a second that you're being manipulated by a con artist? Nope.
Trump alone commands you and the rest of his mindless base to call any news source that's either critical of him or isn't critical of his enemies Fake News and you obey like a trained monkey. Did you ever consider for even a second that you're being manipulated by a con artist? Nope.
Then there was a revolution, and now they aren't. Saudi Arabia is full of religious extremists, and if they have a coup they will be FAR worse than Iran. Do you really want them to have the bomb, just because they happen to be a US ally today?
The Saudi's do not need Nuclear Power plants to produce nuclear weapons - they already have them. The Pakistan weapons program and inventory has been paid for by the Saudi's with the tacit agreement that if Iran comes calling with ground forces, then it's instant sunshine time.
The House of Saud will have absoutely zero regret on sending all those Shia's to paradise a bit earlier than planned and it will be cheered in the streets [well not in the East perhaps] if it does.
Ironically the Israeli's are involved as well - they have always seen Iran in the last few decades as their greatest enemy via their proxies and a nuclear armed Saudi gives them a large security buffer. The Saudi public comments about Israel and the Palestinians are purely PR - in reality they have many common interests and that the Gulf states in private do not give tuppence about the Palestinian's situation and never have.
I can hear the cries from here... Buttery males!
The Iran Nuclear Deal made it harder and more time consuming for Iran to build nuclear bombs. Even just slowing them down is worth the effort as it gives time for political change in Iran (stage a revolution?). Short of invasion we don't have any other workable options, sanctions aren't working.
Bombs of course.