US President Donald Trump is under the scanner a gain by lawmakers who said they were probing whether President Donald Trump is rushing to sell sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia to please corporate supporters who stand to profit handsomely.
A report by the the House Committee on Oversight and Reform said, “"These commercial entities stand to reap billions of dollars through contracts associated with constructing and operating nuclear facilities in Saudi Arabia— and apparently have been in close and repeated contact with President Trump and his administration to the present day."
The United States cannot legally transfer nuclear technology to countries without reaching Section 123 agreements, that provide assurances of peaceful energy use. IP3 International, a company whose subsidiary in 2016 listed retired Army lieutenant general Michael Flynn as an advisor. Is the leading proponent of building nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia. Flynn has briefly served Trump as his national security adviser before he resigned over lying about secret communications with Russia, for which he was convicted and is awaiting sentencing.
Trump administration in its very first week tried to rush through approval of IP3's bid to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia until a legal adviser ruled that Flynn had a conflict of interest, the committee said, citing whistle blowers. IP3's influence has apparently not ended, with the committee voicing alarm at a report by news site Axios that Trump personally met with representatives of the company among other firms just last week. Thomas Barrack, a businessman with long standing interests in Arab world and organized Trump's inauguration is another key proponent of transfers to Saudi Arabia.
A group of senators including Marco Rubio, a Republican of Florida, last year jointly appealed to Trump to freeze talks on a 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia, questioning the judgment of the kingdom's policymakers. Saudi Arabia has walked back from similar promises, although some experts believe Riyadh is talking tough largely to pressure Iran and that it is unlikely to seek nuclear weapons so long as it enjoys US security guarantees.
