House Democrats launched an investigation into a recent dinner former President Donald Trump attended with oil executives at Mar-a-Lago in which he asked for $1 billion in donations.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee asked nine oil executives to provide information about their companies’ participation in the meeting. Democrats alleged Trump’s request may have violated campaign finance laws because his request for donations could have been a quid pro quo, as Trump’s campaign is promising to reverse several Biden administration environmental policies.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) asked the company executives to provide the names and titles of anyone from their company who attended the dinner, copies of Trump campaign materials, descriptions of any policy proposals discussed at the event, and contributions made to the Trump campaign at or following the dinner.
“Venture Global regularly engages with government officials — both past and present — on a bipartisan basis and this meeting was no different. We would welcome a similar conversation with President Biden at any time,” a Venture Global spokeswoman said about meeting with Trump.
The Trump campaign did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
Democrats on the committee lack some investigative powers because Republicans control the House. This means if companies do not comply with handing over information, they cannot subpoena the companies. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, which has wider subpoena power, is looking to launch an investigation.
“Fossil fuel malfeasance will cost Americans trillions in climate damages, and the Budget Committee is looking at how to ensure the industry cannot simply buy off politicians in order to saddle taxpayers with the bill,” Whitehouse said.
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Some experts said Trump did not violate campaign finance laws as Trump would have had to make it clear he would enact a specific policy action for funds. At the dinner, Trump promised to end a Biden administration freeze on permits for new liquefied natural gas exports and start leasing more areas for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump “was doing what candidates often do, which is saying, ‘Please give me money, and I will do the things that I know you want,’” said Dan Weiner, director of elections and government at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s law school. “The brazenness is still quite astonishing, and it certainly flies in the face of the spirit of the law, if not the letter.”