MICHAEL FLYNN/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR ENERGY: “Private-sector backers of a controversial Middle East nuclear plan worked with former national security adviser Mike Flynn to promote it inside the White House, to the point of sending him a draft memo for the president to sign authorizing the project.
At issue was a proposal to build dozens of nuclear reactors, billed by its backers as a ‘Marshall Plan for the Middle East.’ Before joining the White House, Mr. Flynn, a retired lieutenant general, had advised some of the U.S. companies involved in the plan in his capacity as a consultant.
Mr. Flynn’s efforts to promote the plan included telling a National Security Council staffer to create an official directive detailing the plan for President Donald Trump to sign, according to people familiar with the matter. He also brought the project to the attention of a key administration ally, these people say. The plan was projected to generate $250 billion in revenue for U.S. companies, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal…
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating Mr. Flynn’s relationship with the companies involved and to what extent his prior consulting career overlapped with his role as a top adviser to Mr. Trump…
A White House spokesman said ‘the White House and National Security Council have rigorous processes in place to ensure that all outside proposals are thoroughly evaluated for their potential legal and policy implications.’ “
-Christopher S. Stewart and Rob Barry, “Mike Flynn’s Promotion of Nuclear-Plant Project Went Deep Into the White House,” The Wall Street Journal online, Nov. 28, 2017 03:30pm