White House sought to give nuclear technology to Saudis Trump denies asking if ally could oversee Cohen probe
Washington — Senior White House officials pushed a project to share nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia despite the objections of ethics and national security officials, according to a new congressional report citing whistleblowers within the Trump administration.
Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns that Saudi Arabia could develop nuclear weapons if the U.S. technology were transferred without proper safeguards.
The Democratic-led House oversight committee opened an investigation Tuesday into the claims by several unnamed whistleblowers who said they witnessed “abnormal acts” in the White House regarding the proposal to build dozens of nuclear reactors across the Middle Eastern kingdom.
The report raises concerns about whether some in a White House marked by “chaos, dysfunction and backbiting” sought to circumvent national security procedures to push a Saudi deal that could financially benefit close supporters of the president.
The report comes at a time when lawmakers are increasingly uneasy with the close relationship between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia, which has raised alarms even among members of the president’s party in Congress. Trump has made the kingdom a centerpiece of his foreign policy in the Middle East as he tries to further isolate Iran. In the process, he has brushed off criticism over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudis’ role in the war in Yemen.
At the same time, Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is developing a Middle East peace plan that could include economic proposals for Saudi Arabia.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the report, the nuclear effort was pushed by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was fired in early 2017.
Washington — President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied a report that he asked former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker if an ally could undo his recusal in an investigation of his former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen.
Longtime Trump ally Geoffrey Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, had already recused himself from the Cohen case at the point of Trump’s request. But the president wanted him to oversee an investigation into Trump, Cohen and payments made during the 2016 campaign to several women to keep them quiet about alleged extramarital affairs with Trump.
The New York Times first reported the alleged request, citing “several American officials with direct knowledge of the call.”
“No,” the president said when asked about the report during a space policy event in the Oval Office, “I don’t know who gave you that.”
Meantime, Trump also suggested independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is wasting his time making a second run at the Democratic presidential nomination.
“Personally, I think he missed his time. On trade, (we) would sort of agree on trade. I wish Bernie well. It will be interesting to see how he does,” Trump said, before adding that Sanders “was not treated with respect” by eventual Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
What’s more, Trump again signaled a willingness to extend a March 1 deadline, when tariffs on Chinese goods are slated to swell from 10 percent to 25 percent.
“I can’t tell you exactly about timing, the date is not a magical date because a lot of things are happening,” he said. “We’ll see what happens. … The talks have gone very, very well.”