Biden, Biden, China, China.
What they accuse others of doing, they are actually doing themselves.
President Biden and
his allies raked in campaign cash from a top Russia lobbyist in 2020, just
months before his administration’s decision to scrap sanctions on a
controversial firm building a Russian oil pipeline to Germany.
Richard Burt, a
managing partner at McLarty Associates and a former US ambassador to Germany
during the Reagan administration, ponied up $4,000 for Joe Biden in October
2020 and dropped another $10,000 in the lefty-aligned political action
committee Unite The County in March 2020, FEC records show.
In addition to violating
Biden’s own campaign pledge not to take lobbyist cash, the
money from Burt is particularly noteworthy as he is currently directly engaged
in lobbying activities for Nord Stream 2 AG.
“When Richard Burt
donated to Biden Victory Fund, he failed to acknowledge that he was a
registered foreign agent and was therefore ineligible to contribute,” A
Democratic National Committee spokesman told The Post. “Because Burt also
listed a different employer than on his [Foreign Agents Registration Act]
registration, he was not flagged during our vetting process.”
The DNC said they had
returned the cash on Thursday after The Post’s inquiry.
The Switzerland-based
Nord Stream 2 — controlled by an ex-East German stasi officer and close ally of
Vladimir Putin — is currently engaging in sanctionable activity, according to
the State Department. Team Biden raised eyebrows, however, after declining to
enforce sanctions, citing US national interests, Axios reported.
Critics worry the
project will allow Russia dangerous influence over European energy supplies and
increase their overall political leverage on the continent.
To build the pipeline,
Nord Stream 2 has partnered with five European energy companies, ENGIE, OMV, Shell, Uniper and
Wintershall Dea. Lobbying disclosure forms show that Burt is currently
advocating on behalf of all five.
Burt
ponied up $4,000 for Joe Biden in October 2020.
“To protect and
further the company’s interests in the debate over natural gas as an element of
European energy security and advise on Russia sanctions issues,” reads Burt’s disclosure for OMV under the area for “specific
lobbying issues.” The other four offer similar language.
“Reading between the
lines you can clearly see what that lobbying looks like,” Anna Massoglia, an
Investigative Researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics told The Post.
“While it’s not evidence of anything illegal. It’s just something that is
evidence of how influence works in Washington.”
Burt, a longtime GOP
donor, before switching sides in 2019, has long been a fixture in D.C. foreign
policy circles. “He carries an air of great knowledge and wisdom and experience
and he’s impressive when you meet him,” a former Trump official who dealt with
Burt told The Post.
Burt played an early
role in advising the Trump campaign’s foreign policy positions, and even helped
the billionaire candidate craft his first foreign policy speech — something
critics immediately leapt on as proof of untoward Russia connections.
“The revelation of
Burt’s lobbying activity raises new questions about Russian influence in
Trump’s campaign,” blared Politico, which cited extensively Burt’s work on Nord
Stream 2 — a project Trump went on to consistently oppose as president.
“The sum total of
Trump’s words and actions has only encouraged Russian meddling in our
elections,” said California Rep. Adam Schiff in August 2020. “Insecure, unscrupulous and
transactional, Trump is Putin’s ideal American president.”
Rep. Adam Schiff also received money
from Burt.
In March, 2019, Burt gave a max out $2,800 donation to Schiff shortly
after the California Congressman took the reins of the powerful House
Intelligence Committee.
Schiff has not
commented publicly on the Biden Nord Stream 2 decision.
Both Burt and reps for
Schiff did not respond to request for comment from The Post.
No comments:
Post a Comment