Trump advisers pushed for nuclear exports to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON—Senior Trump administration officials pushed to build nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia despite objections from White House lawyers, according to a new report the House Oversight and Reform Committee released Tuesday that is based on the accounts of unnamed whistleblowers and White House documents. The committee’s findings show that top officials promoted an effort to develop “dozens of nuclear power plants” in the region and accuses officials, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Energy Secretary Rick Perry, of trying to circumvent normal national security procedures to push the deal, dubbed the “Marshall Plan for the Middle East.” At least one whistleblower claimed officials did not consult Congress, violating the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 that says lawmakers must approve the exports of nuclear technology, despite White House lawyers’ warnings.

The committee also alleges that Flynn had conflicts of interest due to his relationship with IP3 International, a firm that advocated for U.S. nuclear exports to prevent countries from working with China or Russia. Before joining the administration, Flynn advised IP3, and his work on the plan may have furthered the organization’s private interests, according to the report. Flynn, who left the Trump administration in early 2017, is currently awaiting sentencing for lying to the FBI in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The report warned that though Flynn’s successor, H.R. McMaster, canceled the plan, some iteration of it may still be under consideration. The Oversight and Reform Committee announced it is opening a joint investigation with the House Intelligence Committee into the new Marshall Plan and whether it is still ongoing.