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In relation to that, let's recall oil pipeline activity in that region under the Clinton administration and its relation to Afghanistan and the Taliban--Robin Raphel and Richard Holbrooke would be a couple relevant names here, off the top of my head.

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A second major policy directive that Raphel advocated and developed during her tenure was engagement and cooperation with the Taliban.[16] Her positions raised equal measure of praise and scorn.[18] U.S. energy policies in the mid-1990s sought to develop alternative supply routes to counter increasing tensions in the Middle East. The Clinton administration supported oil and gas pipelines to transport Turkmenistan's rich energy reserves through Afghanistan to an exit at Pakistan's Indian Ocean seaport of Gwadar.[19]:165 Raphel openly spoke in favor of a proposed pipeline project by Unocal Corporation, an American oil company, on trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan in April and August 1996. Overt Clinton administration support for the Unocal project, and the subsequent taking of Kabul in September 1996 by the Taliban, raised concerns in Russia and Iran that U.S. intelligence assets were behind the rise of Taliban control in Afghanistan to advance U.S. energy interests in the region.[19]:165

Raphel was instrumental in coordinating the State Department's establishment of diplomatic relations with the Taliban shortly after its takeover of Kabul.[20]:300 A senior Unocal executive commented that the pipeline project would be far easier to implement with the Taliban in control, in reference to the need for central control in Afghanistan to undertake a project of the size, complexity and cost the Texas-based oil giant was considering.[19]:166 Unocal's consortium also included Saudi Arabia's Delta Oil, Pakistan's Crescent Group and Gazprom of Russia. The project involved building an 890-kilometer gas pipeline that would carry 1.9 billion cubic feet of gas to Pakistan each day.[21]:95 Unocal held detailed discussions with Taliban representatives in Houston in December 1997, striking a deal[22] that would later collapse under the weight of rising U.S. and Afghan domestic political pressures against the Taliban's record on human rights, education and treatment of women.[19]:171–174

In pursuing the Clinton administration's energy objectives through construction of the $4.5 billion Afghanistan Oil Pipeline, Raphel created ill will with Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, then under the command of Ahmad Shah Massoud.[21]:95 Massoud-controlled militias blocked the pipeline's northern access route due to the longstanding civil war with Taliban forces. After Massoud was killed September 9, 2001 in a Taliban bombing, Raphel's critics accused her of collaborating with the Taliban to advance American commercial interests even as the group gave refuge to Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other senior al-Qaeda leaders in the time leading up to the September 11 attacks.[20]. . .

After her retirement in 2005 Raphel worked for Cassidy & Associates,[33] a Washington-based lobbying firm, through which she represented the government of Pakistan among others.[34] She returned in 2009 to the State Department under Hillary Clinton as senior adviser on Pakistan for the office of the special representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan. On November 7, 2014 several media organizations reported that Raphel was under federal investigation as part of a counterintelligence probe possibly linked to espionage.[34][35][36] The FBI searched Raphel's home in October 2014. Her State Department office was also examined and sealed. She was placed on administrative leave and her contract with the State Department was allowed to expire on November 2, 2014.[37] Her security clearances were also withdrawn in October 2014.[34] It was later reported that an intercepted conversation of a Pakistani official had led to the investigation.[38] In March 2016, the Justice Department formally closed the investigation and decided to not file any charges.[39]

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Holbrooke was Clinton's lead foreign policy advisor in her campaign for president and was believed to be her preferred choice for Secretary of State. When Obama defeated Clinton and selected her as Secretary of State, Holbrooke was her preferred option for Deputy Secretary of State, but was vetoed by Obama.[1] Special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (2009–2010). In January 2009, Holbrooke was appointed by President Obama as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. . .

Spying Case Against U.S. Envoy Is Falling Apart, and Following a Pattern[Robin Raphel] 10/11/2015, 2:18:39 PM · by Theoria · 17 replies The New York Times ^ | 10 Oct 2015 | MATT APUZZO, MARK MAZZETTI and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT Last fall, federal agents raided the home and office of Robin L. Raphel in search of proof that she, a seasoned member of America’s diplomatic corps, was spying for Pakistan. But officials now say the spying investigation has all but fizzled, leaving the Justice Department to decide whether to prosecute Ms. Raphel for the far less serious charge of keeping classified information in her home. The fallout from the investigation has in the meantime seriously damaged Ms. Raphel’s reputation, built over decades in some of the world’s most volatile countries. If the Justice Department declines to file spying charges, as...

Rep. ROHRABACHER (1999) -- How the Clinton Administration brought the Taliban to power 9/28/2001, 10:01:18 PM · by Nita Nupress · 43 replies · 2,520+ views Senate testimony | April 14, 1999 | Rep. Dana Rohrabacher April 14, 1999, Wednesday COMMITTEE HEARING SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS: SUBCOMMITTEE ON NEAR EASTERN AND SOUTH U.S. SENATOR SAM BROWNBACK (R-KS) HOLDS HEARING...