After soliciting a $1 billion donation from oil CEOs in April, Donald Trump might find himself in hot water.
A Washington-based nonprofit watchdog group called Citizen for Responsibility and Ethics has accused Trump of engaging in criminal bribery in connection with his meeting with the energy industry business moguls.
The group has complained to the Justice Department.
Donald Trump’s treatment of oil industry heavy hitters “follow a pattern,” according to a statement from CREW president Noah Bookbinder. He claimed that the executives were led to believe that the former president would provide them $1 billion in return for a loosening of oil sector rules.
The outgoing president called the contributions a “deal” and promised that if elected president again, Trump would roll back industry rules enacted by the Biden administration. A source who was present at the meeting and could corroborate the request denied that a “quid pro quo” arrangement was involved.
The meeting is being investigated jointly by the Senate Budget and Finance committees, with Budget Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) describing it as the “definition of corruption.”
At a fundraising event in late May, the former president urged attendees to “be generous” without requesting a specific amount of money. He also assured industry executives that he would resume the easing of restrictions placed on new natural gas export approvals by the Biden administration.
According to Bookbinder, Donald Trump may be in violation of criminal law. His analysis revealed that Trump had a history of exposing himself to corrupt influences, pursuing conflicts of interest, and enriching himself through public posts.
The formal complaint letter was served on Corey Amundson, head of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, and Christopher Wray, director of the FBI.
Whitehouse claims that even while he rose to political prominence by targeting the rich elite, he is now more than happy to court billionaires and powerful businesspeople—as long as they are prepared to pay the price.
