On Wednesday, Democratic Representative Katie Porter sounded the alarm about a new alleged bribery scheme by Donald Trump.
Porter made the revelation during an interview on MSNBC News where she offered details about the latest controversy involving the former president, his former Trump Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, former Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, and real estate developer Mike Ingram.
According to Porter, Bernhardt and Ingram reportedly had an off-the-record meeting that is believed to have led to a form of quid pro quo, pointing out three major occurrences that happened shortly after that meeting.
The Army Corp. of Engineers reportedly announced they were reopening the permit process for an area in Arizona that was previously deemed environmentally sensitive.
Don't Miss
After the announcement, Ingram and a dozen of his business acquaintances donated nearly $250,000 to the Trump Victory Fund and to the Republican National Committee (RNC).
Porter said that soon after the donation was made, a top-ranking Fish and Wildlife official received a call where he was told that a “high-level Politico” wanted him to “reverse his decision that this development would harm the environment.”
The California Democrat then made the case that this appears to be a quid pro quo because Ingram and his friends received a kickback after donating to the former president’s “Victory Fund.”
“This developer was basically able to buy his away around environmental protection law,” Porter said.
Additionally, Porter tweeted details about the scheme. “New from [Rep. Raul Grijalva] and me: After a real estate developer and his friends made $241,600 in campaign donations, the Trump Administration overruled local environmental experts to greenlight a development near an endangered river,” she tweeted. “We’re making a criminal referral for bribery.”
New from @RepRaulGrijalva and me: After a real estate developer and his friends made $241,600 in campaign donations, the Trump Administration overruled local environmental experts to green light a development near an endangered river. We're making a criminal referral for bribery.
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) May 11, 2022
Watch Porter’s interview below:
