By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate finance and funds committees on Thursday launched an investigation into presidential candidate Donald Trump’s reported provide to roll again a slew of environmental rules in trade for $1 billion in marketing campaign contributions.
The announcement comes per week after the highest Democratic lawmaker on a U.S. Home oversight panel sought data from 9 oil corporations about studies about “quid pro quo propositions” made by the previous president at a marketing campaign occasion this spring at his Mar a Lago resort in Florida.
“As Mr. Trump funnels marketing campaign cash into his companies and makes use of it as a slush fund to pay his authorized charges, Massive Oil has been lobbying aggressively to guard and develop its income on the expense of the American taxpayer,” wrote Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden of Oregon and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
Trump had vowed to reverse dozens of the Biden administration’s environmental rules and policies at a meeting with top U.S. oil executives, where he also asked them to raise $1 billion for his presidential campaign, according to media reports.
The committee chairs sent letters to several energy company CEOs and one industry trade group requesting materials distributed to attendees of the fundraising event at which Trump solicited the quid pro quo; descriptions of policy proposals discussed at the event, copies of any draft proposals or executive orders, and information about donations made by companies to the Trump campaign.
The American Petroleum Institute, one of the recipients of the Senate letters, called the probe “an election 12 months stunt.”
“API meets with candidates and policymakers to discuss the need for sound energy policies, and this meeting was no different,” said API spokesperson Andrea Woods.
Trump had told executives at that event that he planned to auction off more leases for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, reverse drilling restrictions in the Alaskan Arctic, lift the pause on LNG exports and about his dislike of wind energy, according to media reports.