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The announcement comes a week after the top Democratic lawmaker
on a U.S. House oversight panel sought information from nine oil
companies about reports about "quid pro quo propositions" made
by the former president at a campaign event this spring at his
Mar a Lago resort in Florida.
“As Mr. Trump funnels campaign money into his businesses and
uses it as a slush fund to pay his legal fees, Big Oil has been
lobbying aggressively to protect and expand its profits at 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 year 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.
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Daniel Wallis and
Diane Craft)
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