Tipsheet

Here We Go: Senate Judiciary Will Investigate Clinton-Russia Uranium Corruption

Earlier this week The Hill published a story showing Russian nuclear officials made the Clintons richer after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton approved a deal allowing for the Kremlin to gain significant control over the U.S. nuclear program. 

Before the Obama administration approved a controversial deal in 2010 giving Moscow control of a large swath of American uranium, the FBI had gathered substantial evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to grow Vladimir Putin’s atomic energy business inside the United States, according to government documents and interviews.

Federal agents used a confidential U.S. witness working inside the Russian nuclear industry to gather extensive financial records, make secret recordings and intercept emails as early as 2009 that showed Moscow had compromised an American uranium trucking firm with bribes and kickbacks in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FBI and court documents show.

They also obtained an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow, sources told The Hill.

Now, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is demanding answers and wants to know specifically why an FBI agent was prevented from testifying about the corruption and bribery involved.

“The Executive Branch does not have the authority to use non-disclosure agreements to avoid Congressional scrutiny.  If the FBI is allowed to contract itself out of Congressional oversight, it would seriously undermine our Constitutional system of checks and balances," Grassley said. "The Justice Department needs to work with the Committee to ensure that witnesses are free to speak without fear, intimidation or retaliation from law enforcement. Witnesses who want to talk to Congress should not be gagged and threatened with prosecution for talking. If that has happened, senior DOJ leadership needs to fix it and release the witness from the gag order."

This is just the beginning and there's no doubt Grassley will be digging much deeper on the issue. 

Meanwhile, President Trump is also bringing attention to the issue.