Democrats investigate Trump's campaign for promises to oil tycoons
Democrats in the US Senate have announced the launch of an investigation into claims that former President Donald Trump promised oil tycoons that he would repeal some of President Joe Biden's climate policies if re-elected and, in return, contribute money to his campaign.
US election 2024: Donald Trump gains enough delegate votes, just waiting for a 'rematch' of President Joe Biden. (Source: Getty Images) In a joint statement on May 23, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) said they had sent letters to 9 oil companies.
ExxonMobil and Chevron requested more information about last month's fundraiser, in which Trump allegedly urged those companies to contribute $1 billion to his campaign in return for promising policies that would benefit them.
A Southeast Asian country confidently 'pitted' in the global semiconductor market "Over the past few years, time and time again, both Trump and the U.S. oil industry have demonstrated a willingness to sell out the American people to fill their own pockets. And now, with impunity, Trump and the oil tycoons have publicly demonstrated indifference to the economic plight of the American people, exchanging campaign money for policy changes. The risk of such abuse must be scrutinized."
Last week, the House Oversight Committee sent similar requests to the 9 companies. The Washington Post published an exclusive report on a campaign fundraiser at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in April, citing sources familiar with the matter, who said an oil tycoon who attended the fundraiser expressed displeasure with current environmental regulations and revealed he had spent $400 million campaigning the Biden administration corridor.
In response, former President Trump promised that, if they contributed $1 billion to his campaign, he would cancel some climate policies, such as ending the Biden administration's order to suspend approval of certain pending liquefied natural gas export projects. "on day one".
During his tenure, former President Trump repealed more than 100 environmental regulations enacted under his predecessor Barack Obama. For most of Biden's presidency, his administration undid Trump's decisions and enacted tougher regulations on polluting emissions from vehicles, power plants and the oil and gas industry.
Trump has said that, if reelected, he will repeal all of these regulations and increase permitting for fossil fuels and oil and gas extraction.
