Updates | The Week of October 23, 2017
Eve Levin // 10/31/17 //
Whitefish Energy, a company with only two full-time employees based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s small Montana hometown, was awarded a $300 million contract to repair Puerto Rico’s power grid, raising questions about improper influence (WaPo; NYT)
- A senior Democrat has called for an investigation (PBS).
- Prior to his nomination, Secretary Zinke raised millions of dollars for questionable Republican PACs (Politico).
- The company threatened to withdraw from the project after the Mayor of San Juan questioned the contract (The Hill).
Companies employing members of President Trump’s now-disbanded business advisory councils spent millions of dollars on lobbying (CREW).
Nick Ayers, Vice President Pence’s Chief of Staff, volunteered for the Trump-Pence campaign while doing paid work for other candidates (Politico).
President Trump unsuccessfully attempted to secure the arrest of Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire living in the United States, after Steve Wynn, a businessman and Trump donor with ties to the Chinese government, hand-delivered a letter from the Chinese government to President Trump requesting Guo’s arrest (WSJ).
- The timeline of the incident raises questions regarding the Trump administration’s role, writes Garrett Hinck at Lawfare.