Trump administration tried to sell sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia
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WASHINGTON - The Trump administration tried to sell sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, according to a report from US House Democrats. They aren’t sure whether these efforts are still ongoing.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee released a report on Tuesday detailing a plan spearheaded by now-disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn to sell technology for around 40 nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia. The plan had already been reported by the *Wall Street Journal* but the new report adds more insight into what was happening behind the scenes to push the proposal through.
The effort was part of a broader Middle East economic development plan Flynn began putting together before Trump’s inauguration while he was serving as an adviser to Trump’s campaign and transition team.
During that same time period, though, Flynn was also working as an adviser for a private company called IP3 International — a firm run by retired US military generals that calls itself a “global enterprise to develop sustainable energy and security infrastructure.”
Once Trump was took office, Flynn and longtime Trump associate Thomas Barrack worked with other senior officials in the new Trump administration to make the plan a reality.
On January 27, 2017 — just seven days after the inauguration — several retired generals from IP3 went to the White House to meet with Derek Harvey, a senior staffer on Trump’s National Security Council at the time, to discuss the nuclear plan for Saudi Arabia.
“Immediately after the meeting,” the House report states, “Mr Harvey directed the NSC staff to add information about IP3’s ‘plan for 40 nuclear power plants’ to the briefing package for President Trump’s call with [Saudi Arabia’s] King Salman.”
As of now it seems the proposal is still under consideration, but there’s no indication one way or the other that the president will agree to it. At a minimum, the White House is still in discussions to sell nuclear equipment to Saudi Arabia despite widespread Democratic opposition.
On the surface, the proposed nuclear deal makes sense: An American business would make a lot of money — possibly billions of dollars — selling nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and Riyadh would get a new energy source to power its economy, explained *Vox*.
