Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 28 May 2019
A hefty donation to Trump’s inaugural comes under scrutiny

By RICHARD LARDNER tion to the Trump inaugural
Associated Press committee, Haney is in an
WASHINGTON (AP) — Real unrelated legal battle with
estate mogul Franklin the nuclear plant’s owner,
Haney contributed $1 mil- the Tennessee Valley Au-
lion to President Donald thority. Another Haney
Trump’s inaugural commit- company, Nuclear De-
tee and all he’s got to show velopment LLC, has filed
for the money is the glare a lawsuit in federal court
of a federal investigation. accusing the TVA, the na-
The contribution from tion’s largest public util-
Haney, a prolific political ity, of illegally blocking the
donor, came as he was plant’s sale to him at the
seeking regulatory ap- last minute. The utility has
proval and financial sup- argued it couldn’t com-
port from the government plete the transaction be-
for his long-shot bid to ac- cause Haney failed to get
quire the mothballed Belle- the Nuclear Regulatory
fonte Nuclear Power Plant Commission’s approval for
in northeastern Alabama. transfer of the construction
More than two years later, permits.
he still hasn’t closed the A tentative Bellefonte sale
deal. in November 2016 involved
His tale is a familiar one in In this Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 file photo, two cooling towers can be seen in the reflection of a two partially constructed
Washington, where lob- pond outside of the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, in Hollywood, Ala. nuclear reactors and the
byists and wealthy donors Associated Press supporting cooling tow-
use their checkbooks to tee is being scrutinized by mation regarding Haney, Republicans in the late ers, several other buildings
try to sway politicians. It’s federal prosecutors in New his son and business asso- 1990s alleged that Haney’s and more than 1,000 acres
a world Haney is accus- York who are investigating ciate, Frank Haney Jr., and money and his political pull of land on the Tennessee
tomed to operating in and the committee’s finances. the nuclear plant project, with senior Clinton adminis- River. Haney put down $22
one that Trump came into Their probe is focused in according to a person fa- tration officials helped him million and had until No-
office pledging to upend. part on whether donors re- miliar with what Cohen to get the Federal Com- vember 2018 to complete
Yet Trump has left in place ceived benefits after mak- told the authorities. The munications Commission to the $111-million sale.
many of the familiar ways ing contributions. person was not authorized move into an office build- On Nov. 29, the day before
to wield influence. Trump’s former personal to speak publicly and re- ing that he had a major the sale was to be closed,
Haney’s hefty donation to attorney, Michael Cohen, quested anonymity. stake in. Haney denied any the TVA scrapped the deal,
Trump’s inaugural commit- has given prosecutors infor- Haney had briefly hired Co- wrongdoing and the Jus- declaring that Haney’s
hen to help obtain money tice Department declined company had not yet se-
for the Bellefonte project to pursue the matter. cured regulatory approval
from potential investors, in- But he was charged in as required by the Atomic
cluding the Middle Eastern 1999 with funneling about Energy Act. Haney filed a
country of Qatar. Cohen is $100,000 in illegal contribu- breach of contract lawsuit.
now serving a three-year tions to President Bill Clin- In early April, about five
prison sentence for tax ton, Vice President Al Gore months after Nuclear De-
evasion, lying to Congress and other politicians, then velopment submitted its
and campaign finance vi- acquitted. A federal pros- application for transfer of
olations. ecutor described Haney as the construction permits,
Haney and his attorney did a sophisticated fundraiser the regulatory commis-
not respond to interview re- who hoped to impress po- sion’s staff told the com-
quests. tential business clients with pany it needed to submit
Prosecutors also are ex- his access to elected offi- more technical details be-
amining whether foreign- cials, like Clinton and Gore. fore it could proceed.
ers unlawfully contributed Haney’s family-owned real Edwin Lyman, a nuclear
to the committee. Federal estate business donated power expert at the Union
prosecutors in Manhat- thousands of dollars in 2013 of Concerned Scientists,
tan issued a subpoena last and 2015 to political action said the response reflected
year seeking a wide range committees that support- skepticism about whether
of financial records from ed Alabama Gov. Robert Haney’s company “is seri-
the committee, including Bentley, who later recom- ous about or capable of
any “communications re- mended that the nuclear actually undertaking this
garding or relating to the plant Haney wanted to buy project or just wants to put
possibility of donations by be put up for sale. Haney the license in its pocket for
foreign nationals.” also contributed to a non- purposes unknown.”
The inaugural committee profit created to promote But Lyman added the five-
has denied wrongdoing Bentley’s agenda. The member nuclear regula-
and said its funds were fully Republican governor re- tory board is dominated
accounted for. signed in 2017 as he faced by Trump appointees and
Haney, 79, has previously impeachment proceed- may not want to be seen
faced accusations that his ings after an alleged affair by Congress and the Trump
political gift giving is aimed with an aide. administration as throwing
at cultivating influence. In addition to the investiga- up roadblocks to a nuclear
An investigation by House tion into Haney’s contribu- power expansion.q