Senate Democrats launch investigation into alleged Trump 'quid pro quo' with oil executives

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Politics

Published 3:44 PM EDT, Thu May 23, 2024


CNN — Senate Democrats have launched an inquiry into recent reports that Donald Trump offered oil executives the reversal of some of President Joe Biden’s climate policies upon the former president’s reelection in exchange for campaign contributions.

The chairs of the Senate Finance and Budget committees announced in a joint statement Thursday that they have sent letters to nine oil companies, including ExxonMobile and Chevron, asking for additional information related to a fundraiser event where Trump allegedly sought $1 billion in campaign contributions in return for promises of policy changes to benefit their companies.

The committees are seeking “descriptions of policy proposals discussed” and “materials distributed to any attendees” at the event. Last week, the House Oversight Committee made a similar request to those companies.

“Time and time again, both Mr. Trump and the U.S. oil and gas industry have proved they are willing to sell out Americans to pad their own pockets,” Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said in a statement. “And now, emboldened by impunity, Mr. Trump and Big Oil are flaunting their indifference to U.S. citizens’ economic well-being for all to see, conferring on how to trade campaign cash for policy changes. Such potential abuses must be scrutinized.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/23/politics/trump-senate-democrats-oil-investigation/index.html

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Link to Senate Finance & Budget Committees' NEWS RELEASE - Finance, Budget Committees Launch Joint Investigation into Donald Trump’s Quid Pro Quo Offer to Big Oil

[thesquanderer]

1. I'd be surprised if they got much response without a subpoena.

Especially since TFG may still become president, and he holds a grudge.

[Novara]

8. They won't get a response even with a subpoena

But I'm glad they're doing this.

[peppertree]

2. Reminds me of Old Man Bush's insistences that there was "no quid pro quo" with the Honduran dictator

After which - predictably enough - Honduras became a major springboard for Colombian cocaine and opioids into the U.S.

But they were anti-Sandinista, so that was all that mattered to Bush.

[FBaggins]

3. They really didn't

Oh... this carries ever so much slightly more weight than two House members from the minority sending a letter (since they are committee chairmen).

But "investigations" are "launched" by votes... not by letters requesting information. Individual members of Congress have no power to force people to reply. That's what subpoenas are for.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. You did note the flaw in your argument in your last sentence

where the original assertion neglected to note that Congress almost ALWAYS uses "the least acrimonious method" for communications and will then deploy a series of "escalation" tactics to get the info that is needed. I.e., they don't go with the harshest tool first.

1.) Send a letter
2.) Send a reminder letter (sometimes expanding the request with a broader scope or need for other related info)
3.) Send another reminder with a notation that if no response is made by a certain deadline, then a subpoena might occur
4.) Generate a subpoena if necessary

It's often the case where the respondents will send "some info", just to string it along, which prompts more back and forth and some delay.

[FBaggins]

5. Not really

This assumes that the votes exist for such a subpoena. I very much doubt that they do.

So the actual escalation path in this case is:

1) The next time the CEO testified before Congress… the sender of the letter will sternly note that he received no reply.


Or they may just reply with a “pound sand” letter

[BumRushDaShow]

6. The OP says "Senate" meaning that the majority on the Committees ARE Democrats

Full stop.

[FBaggins]

7. The chairman is not the committee

And the committee is not the senate.

The Senate hasn’t done anything here. Nor is it likely to .

“ The Senate” launches investigations with a vote