 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) Dec 6, 2017
Former White House national security advisor Michael Flynn texted a businessman during President Donald Trump's inauguration speech that a Middle East nuclear power plant scheme with Russian partners was "good to go," a Democratic lawmaker alleged Wednesday. According to a whistleblower who contacted the lawmaker, the businessman said Flynn had told him that sanctions on Russia would be "ripped up" as a priority in the new Trump government to help the nuclear scheme go ahead. "Mike has been putting everything in place for us," the businessman, Alex Copson, managing director of nuclear power promoter ACU Strategic Partners, allegedly told the whistleblower. "This is going to make a lot of very wealthy people." The allegations posed new troubles for Flynn, who left the White House last February after barely three weeks and pleaded guilty last week to lying to FBI investigators in the Russia election meddling probe. It also raised fresh questions on what Trump knew about Flynn's business plans when he appointed the retired three-star general to serve as his national security advisor. Representative Elijah Cummings, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, recounted the whistleblower's allegations as part of a push to have Flynn and others testify to his committee. According to Cummings, on January 20, 2017, the whistleblower had a conversation with Copson as they attended Trump's inauguration. Six months earlier, Copson had paid Flynn $25,000 to travel to the Middle East to help promote his scheme, and was excited about the possibility that it would move ahead. The ACU plan involved some two dozen nuclear power plants around the Middle East, to be developed jointly by the United States and Russia. The key to the plan's success was ending economic sanctions on Russia, which would supply the reactors. Three weeks before the inauguration, the outgoing Obama administration had expanded sanctions on Russia to punish Moscow for meddling in the 2016 presidential election that sent Trump to the White House. Flynn though told Copson that sanctions would be dropped, and he reportedly began circulating the plan to top White House officials within days of the inauguration. According to The Wall Street Journal, he also discussed the nuclear plan with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and a close friend of the president, Thomas Barrack. Cummings detailed the whistleblower's allegations in a letter to Trey Gowdy, the Republican chairman of the oversight committee, and called on the panel to subpoena Flynn to testify. "Our committee has credible allegations that President Trump's national security advisor sought to manipulate the course of international nuclear policy for the financial gain of his former business partners," said Cummings. He also requested subpoenas for Copson, Barrack and other officials linked to the nuclear scheme. Cummings said he was first contacted by the whistleblower last June, but suggested that his account had remained under wraps while Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian meddling, was investigating Flynn.
New Australia laws to deal with foreign political meddlingSydney (AFP) Dec 4, 2017 Foreign interference in Australian politics has become a "serious problem", a top official said Monday, with tougher laws on espionage and overseas donations to be introduced to parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an inquiry in June after media revelations that the nation's spy agency had warned the country's political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billi ... read more Related Links Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
