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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 20 February 2019

Flynn pushed to share nuclear tech with Saudis, report says

By CHAD DAY cumvent national security peatedly warned that the
Associated Press procedures to push a Saudi actions of Flynn and a se-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Se- deal that could financially nior aide could run afoul of
nior White House officials benefit close supporters of federal conflicts of interest
pushed a project to share the president. law and statutes govern-
nuclear power technology The report comes at a time ing the transfer of nuclear
with Saudi Arabia despite when lawmakers are in- technology to foreign pow-
the objections of ethics creasingly uneasy with the ers.
and national security offi- close relationship between Flynn is awaiting sentenc-
cials, according to a new the Trump administration ing for lying to the FBI in the
congressional report citing and Saudi Arabia, which Russia investigation.
whistleblowers within the has raised alarms even On Tuesday, a person close
Trump administration. among members of the to Flynn’s legal team said
Lawmakers from both par- president’s party in Con- that Russia special coun-
ties have expressed con- gress. Trump has made the sel Robert Mueller’s team
cerns that Saudi Arabia In this Feb. 1, 2017 file photo, National Security Adviser Michael kingdom a centerpiece has reviewed the matters
could develop nuclear Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House, of his foreign policy in the raised in the congressional
weapons if the U.S. tech- in Washington. Middle East as he tries to report and no charges re-
nology were transferred Associated Press further isolate Iran. In the lated to it have been filed.
without proper safeguards. blowers who said they wit- kingdom. process, he has brushed off The person spoke on condi-
The Democratic-led House nessed “abnormal acts” in The report raises concerns criticism over the killing of tion of anonymity because
oversight committee the White House regard- about whether some in a Washington Post columnist they weren’t authorized to
opened an investigation ing the proposal to build White House marked by Jamal Khashoggi and the publicly discuss the ongo-
Tuesday into the claims by dozens of nuclear reactors “chaos, dysfunction and Saudis’ role in the war in ing investigation.
several unnamed whistle- across the Middle Eastern backbiting” sought to cir- Yemen. Congressional investigators
At the same time, Trump are also probing the role of
son-in-law and senior ad- Tom Barrack, a proponent
viser Jared Kushner is de- of the nuclear proposal
veloping a Middle East who ran Trump’s presiden-
peace plan that could in- tial inaugural committee,
clude economic proposals which is under separate in-
for Saudi Arabia. vestigation by federal pros-
The White House did not ecutors in New York. Rick
immediately respond to a Gates, a former Barrack
request for comment. employee and cooperator
According to the report, in Mueller’s investigation,
the nuclear effort was was also involved in advo-
pushed by former National cating for the nuclear pro-
Security Adviser Michael posal.
Flynn, who was fired in early A spokesman for Barrack
2017. said in a statement that
Derek Harvey, a National he will cooperate with the
Security Council official House probe.
brought in by Flynn, contin- “Mr. Barrack’s engage-
ued work on the proposal, ment in investment and
which has remained under business development
consideration by the Trump throughout the Middle East
administration. for the purpose of better
Rep. Elijah Cummings of aligned Middle East and
Maryland, the chairman of U.S. objectives are well
the House Oversight and known, as are his more than
Reform Committee, an- four decades of respected
nounced the investigation relationships throughout
Tuesday. the region,” the statement
Relying on the whistle- said, noting that Barrack
blower accounts, email never joined the Trump ad-
communications and other ministration.
documents , the commit- Harvey did not immedi-
tee’s report details how ately return a request for
NSC and ethics officials re- comment.q