House Dems to investigate Pres Trump’s financial ties to Saudi Arabia (Hillary got there first)

cnbc.com ^ | 11/23/18 | Kevin Breuninger, Special to CNBC.com

[Liz]

Adam Schiff: House Democrats will investigate Trump's financial ties to Saudi Arabia as part of a 'deep dive' into the kingdom's dealings

Democrats will investigate President Donald Trump's financial ties to Saudi Arabia when majority control of the House changes hands in January, Rep. Adam Schiff says in a Washington Post interview. "There are a whole set of potential financial conflicts of interest and emoluments problems that Congress will need to get to the bottom of," Schiff says.

Trump this week asserted that the U.S. stands with Saudi Arabia as a crucial ally as the Trump administration pursues its economic and national security goals, despite the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Democrats will investigate President Donald Trump's financial ties to Saudi Arabia as part of a "deep dive" on the kingdom when majority control of the House changes hands in January, the lawmaker in line to become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said in a Washington Post interview published Friday.

"There are a whole set of potential financial conflicts of interest and emoluments problems that Congress will need to get to the bottom of," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told Greg Sargent, a liberal columnist for the paper. "Certainly if foreign investment in the Trump businesses is guiding U.S. policy in a way that's antithetical to the country's interests, we need to find out about it."

Trump has repeatedly said he has no financial interests in Saudi Arabia, but he has also boasted about making millions of dollars from the Saudis. Indeed, business from Saudi-based customers helped buoy revenue this year at Trump namesake hotels in New York and Chicago, according to a Washington Post report.

A spokesman for Schiff did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for further comment on the lawmaker's interview with the Post. A representative for the White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Schiff's statements.

Schiff's remarks on his party's plans to investigate Trump's ties to the Saudis came amid the president's response to the death of Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi royal family who was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in October.

Multiple outlets reported last week that the CIA concluded with high confidence that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing. But Trump, in a lengthy, combative statement Tuesday that was full of political slogans and exclamation points, asserted that the U.S. stands with Saudi Arabia as a crucial ally as the Trump administration pursues its economic and national security goals.

On the question of whether the crown prince knew in advance about the slaying, Trump said: "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" The president appeared to go even further to defend the young Saudi leader on Wednesday, telling reporters outside his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that the crown prince "denies it vehemently." Trump added: "I hate the crime, I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do."

Saudi Arabia initially insisted that Khashoggi, who had entered the consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2 and was never seen outside it again, had left voluntarily shortly after he arrived. But as the evidence mounted — and a crescendo of criticism from international leaders intensified — the kingdom eventually admitted that Khashoggi had been killed, calling it "an unfortunate accident."

To be sure, the Trump administration on Nov. 15 announced sanctions under the Magnitsky Act against 17 people alleged to have been involved in the killing.

Schiff told the Post's Sargent that the Intelligence Committee will be looking into what U.S. intelligence services know about Khashoggi's death, as well as Trump's response to it. Schiff said House committees will probe Trump's international financial ties with Saudi Arabia and other nations — although it is yet unclear which committees will take on what tasks.

The lawmaker said the "deep dive" on Saudi Arabia will also touch on the U.S. relationship to the kingdom in general, as well as the Saudi-led war in Yemen and the stability of the Saudi royal family.

Schiff is one of Trump's most prominent critics on Capitol Hill and in the media, as well as one of the most vocal defenders of special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He is poised to lead the Intelligence Committee as chairman when the next Congress convenes Jan. 3.

Schiff has already signaled his intention to revive and expand the panel's own probe of Russian election meddling, which Democrats claim was prematurely concluded by the Republican majority.

The Intelligence Committee's investigation, led by staunch Trump ally Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., found "no evidence" of coordination between Trump's 2016 campaign and the Kremlin.

[Liz]

The Saudis showered the Clintons with petrodollars. The Saudis placed multi-million dollar bets on 2016 Hillary to win.

ITEM <><> Prince of Abu Dhabi and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahayan and the Al Nahayan family of Abu Dhabi's $5,000,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation's Global Initiative. got them (A) access to HRC at State Dept, and, (B) a $500,000 environmental speech by Bill Clinton given at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi while HRC was meeting in Washington with UAR's Shaikh Abdullah.

ITEM<><>EXCLUSIVE: Persian Gulf Sheikhs Gave Bill & Hillary $100 Million [VIDEO]

A Daily Caller News Foundation investigation reveals that Bill and Hillary Clinton received at least $100 million from autocratic Persian Gulf states and their leaders, potentially undermining Democratic presidential candidate Hillary’s claim she can carry out independent Middle East policies.

ITEM <><> As a presidential candidate, the amount of foreign cash the Clintons have amassed from the Persian Gulf states is “simply unprecedented,” says national security analyst Patrick Poole. “These regimes are buying access. You’ve got the Saudis, the Kuwaitis, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. There are massive conflicts of interest. It’s beyond comprehension,” Poole told TheDCNF in an interview.

ITEM <><> Overall, the Clinton Foundation has received upwards of $85 million in donations from five Persian Gulf states and their monarchs, according to the foundation’s website. Activist groups have charged the five states — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — committed numerous human rights abuses.

ITEM <><>the Saudis helped stage Hillary's election night "victory"---giving her a huge expensive flat screen TV supposedly to air her crashing through a symbolic $500,000 dollar glass ceiling. (This from a desert kingdom where women are not allowed to drive).

ITEM <><> Several Persian Gulf states contributed millions to the Clinton presidential library in Arkansas.

ITEM<><> Saudi Arabia Funded 20% Of Hillary's Presidential Campaign, / Zerohedge ^ | Jun 14, 2016| Tyler Durden / FR Posted by xzins

(NOTE: It is illegal in the United States for foreign countries to influence the outcome of elections by funding candidates. That appears not to have stopped the Saudis, however.)

“Saudi Arabia provided with full enthusiasm 20 percent of the cost of Hillary Clinton’s election"......the report quoted Saudi Prince Mohammed as having said. According to the US Federal Election commission, over the past two years Clinton has raised a little more than $211.8 million. 20% of this sum is $42.4 million. The Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday that the senior royal was due to fly to Washington where he will meet Obama admin officials to discuss US-Saudi ties. --SNIP--

ITEM<><> Links between Saudi Arabia and the Clinton family, including with Hillary’s campaign, are well reported. In 2008, it was revealed that the Gulf kingdom had donated between $10m and $25m to the Clinton Foundation, a charity set up by Hillary’s husband and former US President Bill Clinton.

ITEM<><> Last year the Centre for Studies and Media Affairs at the Saudi Royal Court paid public relations firm the Podesta Group $200,000 for a month-long project to provide “public relations services”. The Podesta Group was founded in 1988 by brothers John and Tony Podesta. John Podesta is the chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

Saudi Royals greet then-Secy Hillary (she checks to make sure she's on-camera).

[FlingWingFlyer]

When are the Republicans going to start releasing a list of all the investigations that they will be conducting against commie and Nazi “democrats”? It’s time to start putting those America-hating bastards in prison.

[ZULU]

Everytime the criminal Marxists launch an “investigation” of Trump in the HOUSE, Senate Republicans should launch a CORRESPONDING investigation of a House Democrat in the SENATE.

[Liz]

Democrat Schiff told Greg Sargent, a liberal columnist: "Certainly if foreign investment in the
Trump businesses is guiding US policy in a way that's antithetical to the country's interests, we need to find out about it.

Braindead Schiff never noticed Secy of State Hillary's "guiding US policy" in ways that profited the Clintons (and Obama)? Wouldn't that be antithetical to America's interests, hmmmmm?

The Clinton Foundation take just from foreign entities while Hillary was Secy of State---Saudi countries loom large:

LEGEND-—Donation to Clinton Foundation/Global Initiative (CGI)-—followed by State Dept favor granted in return.

<><> Prince of Abu Dhabi and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahayan and the Al Nahayan family of Abu Dhabi. <$5,000,000 to CGI ---Access to HRC at State Dept. and a $500,000 environmental speech by Bill Clinton given at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi while HRC was meeting in Washington with Shaikh Abdullah.

<><> Algeria <$500,000 to CGI--State Dept clearance for U.S. arms sales to Algeria. Deal included biological and chemical agents.

<><>Australia, Commonwealth of <$75,000,000 to the Clintons ---- got Strong State Dept. support
for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which stands to be a boon for Australian multinational firms.

<><>Bahrain, Kingdom of <$250,000 to CGI---Muted criticism by State of Bahrain’s abysmal human rights practices.

<><>Boeing Corp.<$900,000 to the Clintons---State Dept. clearance for $29 billion arms U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia, including Boeing’s F-15 fighter.

<><>Brunei Darussalam, Sultanate of <$5,000,000 to the Clintons---State Dept. clearance for U.S. weapons sales to Brunei.

<><>Cameroon, Republic of <$100,000--- Influence buying by the Cameroon government with the Clinton State Department.

<><>Canada $500,000 donation for State Dept support for Canada’s Keystone XL pipeline, eventually vetoed by Barack Obama.

<><> Chagoury Group <$5,000,000 in cash and a $1,000,000,000 pledge HRC delayed designating Nigeria’s Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization because of Chagoury Group’s investments and operations in Nigeria. Chagoury Group received the “Sustainable Development Award” from the CGI. Chagoury helped the family of Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha hide his wealth stolen from Nigeria’s oil revenues.

<><> Confederation of Indian Industry <$1,000,000 Access for Indian businesses to U.S. government officials.

cont

[Liz]

cont

REFERENCE: From 2001-2005 there was an ongoing investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Guess who took over this investigation in 2002? None other than Comey. Comey was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from January 2002 to December 2003. A Grand Jury had been empanelled. Governments from around the world had donated to the “Clinton Charity”. Yet, from 2001 to 2003 none of those “Donations” to the Clinton Foundation were declared.

nypost.com

Then-State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman gave the Clinton Foundation a pass on identifying foreign donors in its charitable filings — making it impossible to know if it got any special favors while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, according to a Scripps News report.

Scripps News found that the foundation and its subsidiary, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, took in $225 million in government donations between 2010 and 2014. New York’s charity law clearly states: “Organizations that received a contribution or grant from a government agency during the reporting period shall include the name of each agency from which contributions were received and the amount of each contribution.”

But both the foundation and the CHAI failed to do that, and Schneiderman, a member of Clinton’s “leadership council” in New York and a fierce critic of Donald Trump, did nothing about it.

Other charities complied, including the George W. Bush foundation, which reported receiving $5 million from Saudi Arabia and $500,000 from Kuwait.

On its website, the Clinton Foundation reveals its foreign donors, but using only broad ranges, such as $5 million to $10 million, without any time frames. The IRS doesn’t require such disclosures.

SOURCE https://nypost.com/2016/09/06/schneiderman-let-clinton-foundation-skip-identifying-foreign-donors/https://nypost.com/2016/09/06/schneiderman-let-clinton-foundation-skip-identifying-foreign-donors/

Hillary and smirking suck-up, Eric Schneiderman (right). Schneiderman was recently ousted from office.
Several after women came forward saying he spat at, slapped, and choked them in his bedroom.
The tolerant and compassionate liberal called one woman of color his "brown slave."

[Liz]

CLINTON FOUNDATION DONORS GOT ARMS DEALS

Donors to The Clinton Foundation got lucrative Hillary/Obama State Dept arms deals. BTW, Obama got a nice cut.

[Liz]

Saudi ARabia looms large....but no place on the globe is untouched by the Clintons' monstrous grered.

[grania]

The HOR 'pubs under Ryan did so much irreparable harm. Why the heck weren't Saudi ties to the Clintons investigated when they had the chance?

JMHO, Paul Ryan deliberately lost the HOR majority and he was very purposeful and successful in thwarting the Deplorable agenda. Unless the new US Senate is smarter and more loyal to conservative Republicans, we have the potential of becoming ungovernable.

[odawg]

Why should anyone be concerned with democrat House controlled investigations?

We have had tons of Republican House controlled investigations with tons of documented guilt lying around and the House can’t even subpoena the guilty. The targeted ones laugh at them; Comey is an example.

Democrats will use their investigative abilities as a public relations smear against Trump to give the MSM an endless supply of venom to spew in their 24/7 vendetta against Trump.

That is all this amounts to.

Until Trump releases the source documents that initiated the hoax investigation.

Maybe, at some point, he will get some advisors that have some raw courage rather than political strategies and pet agendas.

[Liz]

Why the heck weren't Saudi ties to the Clintons investigated when Pubbies had the chance?

Good question.

[Liz]

Everytime the criminal Democrat Marxists launch an “investigation” of Trump in the HOUSE,
Senate Republicans should launch a CORRESPONDING investigation of a House Democrat in the SENATE.

Amen.

[McCarthysGhost]

Ha...The pubbies will probably carry on their own version of whatever the House investigates in the Senate.

[trebb]

Looks like Schitt is living up to his name...still.

[Liz]

He can’t help himself ......he’s just a steaming pile.

[frnewsjunkie]

Yes, they should! Every time someone asks about collusion and Trump, the answer should be “no, hillary is the one who did.. investigate her”. Repeat the words often... every time... it will sink in eventually.

If the republicans don’t do some fighting the next 2 years, it will be a very hard 2 years for this conservative! The dims must think constant investigations will win them the Presidency in 2020.. but it will work against them. plus tearing the country apart more than it is... plus telling the world what a mess we have here.. and set up a picture of weakness ... russia, china.. could take advantage.

But they do not care what they do.. just the POWER they are after... and with that power, our country would go down the drain.

[Old Yeller]

Let’s investigate the clintons financial ties to China dating back to the days that Slick sold technological secrets to them.

[Old Yeller]

Because the GOP is afraid of the she-devil.

[unread]

It's politician’s taking care of politicians. In much the same way cop's take care of cops ... All of DC needs to be wiped clean.. The lawyers in politics have become are totally corrupt. And this is their "Mantra", (if the right word.?).
look the other way- bypass- discard- disregard- overlook- defer- dismiss- elide- evade- miss- omit- overleap- overpass- postpone- procrastinate- shirk- skimp- skip- suspend- trifle- be careless be derelict- be irresponsible- be negligent- be remiss- gloss over- let pass- let slide- lose sight of- not trouble oneself- pass over- think little of it.

[virgil]

So the democrat message here is to not elect businessmen as president. Only elect corrupt, parasitic, career politicians who take their money. This is about nothing except creating another muddle now that Russia didn’t pan out.

[ldish]

yea, one of the most important things that needs to be done...oh, what about the coup? and sedition? and the rotten actors in DOJ and FBI and CIA? Oh, lets just forget about that and the IT scandal in congress and the lost emails in SOS and Bengazi and Fast and Furious, and on and on, those are only the the deep staters, the HOUSE of LORDS - in our Constitutional Republic...I think we’ve never had!!!!