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</div><div></div><div><div>=</div><div>U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva and committee member Rep. Katie Porter are investigating an alleged bribery scheme in which they believe a real estate developer donated to a super PAC aligned in support of former President Donald Trump in exchange for pardons for two other men.The two Democrats <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.12.02%20Grijalva%20Porter%20to%20Haaland%20re%20Hammond%20pardon%20REDACTED.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">wrote </a>to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Friday, calling on her department to release all documents related to the pardons of Dwight and Steven Hammond, who had been convicted in 2012 of setting fires on public lands they had leased after illegally killing deer on the land. The two men were sentenced to five years in prison with time served in 2015, sparking right-wing protests including a 40-day armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.Grijalva (Ariz.) and Porter (Calif.) believe real estate developer Mike Ingram—who was the subject of the Natural Resources Committee's first-ever criminal referral regarding another potential bribery case involving a clean water permit for one of his developments—secured the Hammonds' pardons in 2018 with a $10,000 donation to the America First Action, Inc. Super PAC.According to the letter, Ingram's assistant <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/media/press-releases/chair-grijalva-rep-porter-seek-documents-on-another-incident-of-potential-bribery-under-the-trump-administration-" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">emailed</a> a Trump Interior Department official on May 25, 2018, attaching two articles arguing for the Hammonds to be pardoned. On July 1, a Republican lawmaker who supported the Hammonds tweeted that Trump was "seriously considering" pardoning them.One day later, Ingram made his donation, and just over a week after that Trump announced he was pardoning the Hammonds."Mr. Ingram made only one other $10,000 donation during the 2017-2018 nonpresidential election cycle," wrote Grijalva and Porter. "That donation was the subject of the committee's criminal referral regarding the Villages at Vigneto development [in Arizona]. In that case, Ingram and 12 other individuals, many of whom maintained personal or professional relationships with Ingram, donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the Trump Victory Fund and the Republican National Committee on the same day or within just a few days that a major federal action regarding Vigneto was made in Ingram's favor.""The parallels between the Vigneto case and the Hammonds' pardons raise significant concerns about another potential case of bribery under the Trump administration and warrant further investigation," they added.On social media, Porter noted that she and Grijalva uncovered the evidence of Ingram's alleged bribe "while investigating a possible $240,000 quid pro quo scheme between the Trump administration and a developer.""We're requesting documents to help us get to the bottom of [the Ingram case]," Porter <a href="https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1598779740135034913" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" class="rm-stats-tracked" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said</a>. "I have zero tolerance for corruption."
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december 2, 2022 The Honorable Deb Haaland Secretary U.S. Department of the Interior 1849 C Street NW Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Secretary Haaland: On May 11, 2022, the House Committee on Natural Resources (Committee) presented evidence of likely bribery involving former U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary David Bernhardt and Villages at Vigneto developer Mike Ingram, in the Committee’s first-ever criminal referral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). 1 The Committee has now uncovered another potential incident of bribery involving Ingram and senior Trump administration officials through its review of documents obtained in that investigation. In 2012, ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond were convicted of arson on federal lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). 2 According to DOJ, the Hammonds informed BLM that a fire they had started on Hammond's private property to burn off invasive species had inadvertently spread to public lands. However, witnesses, including a relative, later came forward and testified that Steven Hammond had instructed companions to drop lit matches on the ground, with the effect of destroying evidence that a Hammond hunting party had illegally slaughtered deer on the BLM lands. By law, arson on federal lands carries a five-year mandatory minimum sentence.3 The district court in the Hammonds’ case ordered sentences far below this requirement, citing Eighth Amendment concerns, but a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated the illegal sentences and ordered the district court to resentence the Hammonds in compliance with the law.4 The U.S. Supreme Court denied cert, 5 and on October 7, 2015, the district court imposed five-year prison terms on each of the Hammonds,...p2credit for time already served.6 On July 10, 2018, President Trump signed Executive Grants of Clemency(Full Pardons) for both Hammonds.7Documents obtained in the Committee’s Vigneto investigation indicate that Mike Ingram used his uniqueaccess to high-ranking Trump administration officials to advocate for these pardons. In an email datedMay 25, 2018, Mr. Ingram’s executive assistant sent Ben Cassidy, DOI’s Senior Deputy Director forExternal and Intergovernmental Affairs, two articles on the topic, including an op-ed arguing for pardonsfor the Hammonds (see Attachment 1).8
On Sunday, July 1, 2018, a vocal proponent for pardoning the Hammonds shared in a tweet that“President Trump called me to say he is 'seriously considering' pardoning Dwight and StevenHammond.”9 This was the first public acknowledgement that a pardon was under consideration.10On Monday, July 2, 2018, the next business day, the Federal Election Commission database shows thatMr. Ingram made a $10,000 out-of-cycle donation to the America First Action, Inc. Super PAC.11 TheAmerica First Action, Inc. Super PAC describes itself as “dedicated to supporting President Trump | Weare the only Official Pro-Trump Super PAC.”12 On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, President Trump signedExecutive Grants of Clemency (Full Pardons) for both Hammonds.13Mr. Ingram made only one other $10,000 donation during the 2017–2018 non-presidential electioncycle.14 That donation was the subject of the Committee’s criminal referral regarding the Villages atVigneto development. In that case, Ingram and 12 other individuals, many of whom maintained personalor professional relationships with Ingram, donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the TrumpVictory Fund and the Republican National Committee on the same day or within just a few days that amajor federal action regarding Vigneto was made in Ingram’s favor. All other donations from Ingramduring this election cycle were $5,400 or less.House Rule X(1)(m) provides the Committee with jurisdiction over the subject matters within DOI’sauthority. The parallels between the Vigneto case and the Hammonds’ pardons raise significant concernsabout another potential case of bribery under the Trump administration and warrant further investigation.---notes6 Department of Justice. (2015, October 7). Eastern Oregon Ranchers Convicted of Arson Resentenced to Five Years in Prison[Press Release]. https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/eastern-oregon-ranchers-convicted-arson-resentenced-five-years-prison7“Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Clemency for Dwight and Steven Hammond” Trump White HouseArchives. July 10, 2018. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regardingexecutive-clemency-dwight-steven-hammond/8 Attachment 1 is also included as Attachment 59 in the Committee's referral to the Department of Justice regarding the Villagesat Vigneto incident, available here: https://naturalresources house.gov/media/press-releases/chair-grijalva-rep-porter-referformer-interior-secretary-bernhardt-villages-at-vigneto-developer-to-justice-department-alleging-criminal-bribery9 Walden, G. [repgregwalden]. (2018, July 1) Late Saturday afternoon, President Trump called me to say he is ‘seriouslyconsidering’ pardoning Dwight and Steven Hammond. [Tweet]. Retrieved fromhttps://twitter.com/repgregwalden/status/1013455435502964738.10 The Congressional Research Service (CRS) completed a search on November 9, 2022 for news reports that indicated the WhiteHouse was seriously considering a pardon for the Hammonds before July 2, 2018. They found none.11 United States. (2018) U.S. Federal Election Commission FEC. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individualcontributions/?contributor name=Ingram%2C+Michael&contributor name=Mike+ingram&two year transaction period=201812 America First [AmericaFirstPAC]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved November 15, 2022, fromhttps://twitter.com/AmericaFirstPAC13 “Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Clemency for Dwight and Steven Hammond” Trump White HouseArchives. July 10, 2018. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-regardingexecutive-clemency-dwight-steven-hammond/14 United States. (2018) U.S. Federal Election Commission FEC. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individualcontributions/?contributor name=Ingram%2C+Michael&contributor name=Mike+ingram&two year transaction period=2018----To assist the Committee’s investigation of this issue, please provide the following documents andinformation as soon as possible, but no later than December 15, 2022:1. All documents and communications relating to Dwight or Steven Hammond between allpresidential appointees requiring the advice and consent of the Senate (PAS), presidentialappointees not requiring appointments (PA), noncareer Senior Executive Service (SES), orSchedule C appointees at DOI or the Bureau of Land Management for any part of 2017 or 2018anda. Mike Ingram or Michael Ingram;b. Any representative of El Dorado Holdings, including but not limited to ,Michael (Mike) Reinbold, Jim Kenny, Dennis Krahn, Eric Hollensbe, Deb Bricker, ChrisGrogan, Linda Cheney, and June Prinz.c. Any person representing the America First Action Inc. and America First Policies, Inc.PACs, including but not limited to:i. Brian O Walsh;ii. Thomas O Hicks, Jr.;iii. Roy W Bailey;iv. Harold Hamm;v. Jonathan T Proch;vi. Joseph Ahearn;vii. Erin Montgomery;viii. Sean Spicer;d. Any White House Office personnel;e. Dwight Hammond;f. Steven Hammond;g. Anyone from Lawrence Matasar PC;h. Anyone from Ransom & Blackman LLP; and2. All documents relating to a pardon for Dwight or Steven Hammond.Please contact the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee staff at (202) 225-6065 with any questionsabout this request. Thank you for your attention to this matter.Sincerely,Raúl M. Grijalva Katie PorterChair ChairCommittee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight andInvestigationsCommittee on Natural Resources
----ref 212.02.22<h1 class="main_page_title" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 0px 10px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chair Grijalva, Rep. Porter Seek Documents on Another Incident of Potential Bribery under the Trump Administration</h1>Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Katie Porter (D-Calif.) today sent a <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.12.02%20Grijalva%20Porter%20to%20Haaland%20re%20Hammond%20pardon%20REDACTED.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">letter</a> to U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland requesting documents regarding a second incident of potential bribery between senior officials in the Trump administration and real estate developer Mike Ingram. Previously, the lawmakers sent the Committee’s first-ever <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/media/press-releases/chair-grijalva-rep-porter-refer-former-interior-secretary-bernhardt-villages-at-vigneto-developer-to-justice-department-alleging-criminal-bribery" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">criminal referral</a> to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleging potential bribery regarding a Trump administration decision about Ingram’s proposed real estate development, the Villages at Vigneto in Benson, Arizona.The full letter to DOI is available <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2022.12.02%20Grijalva%20Porter%20to%20Haaland%20re%20Hammond%20pardon%20REDACTED.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">here</a>.In their letter, Chair Grijalva and Rep. Porter describe evidence that Ingram, a businessman with unique access to high-ranking Trump administration officials, may have unduly influenced former President Trump’s decision to pardon convicted public lands arsonists <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/eastern-oregon-ranchers-convicted-arson-resentenced-five-years-prison" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">Dwight and Steven Hammond</a> in exchange for a sizeable donation to a pro-Trump Super PAC.The letter lays out the following timeline of events:<ul type="square" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">May 25, 2018 – Ingram’s executive assistant sends an email to Ben Cassidy, DOI’s Senior Deputy Director for External and Intergovernmental Affairs, with two articles arguing for pardons for the Hammonds, including an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-should-pardon-oregon-ranchers-they-arent-terrorists" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">op-ed</a> by Trump-era Bureau of Land Management Director William Perry Pendley.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;">July 1, 2018 – A proponent for pardoning the Hammonds <a href="https://twitter.com/repgregwalden/status/1013455435502964738" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">tweets</a> that President Trump is “seriously considering a pardon.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;">July 2, 2018 – Ingram makes a $10,000 out-of-cycle donation to the America First Action, Inc. Super PAC.</li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box;">July 10, 2018 – President Trump <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/07/10/627653866/president-trump-pardons-ranchers-dwight-and-steven-hammond-over-arson" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">pardons</a> the Hammonds.</li></ul>Ingram’s only other $10,000 donation during the 2017–2018 non-presidential election cycle was the donation that triggered the Committee’s investigation into—and subsequent criminal referral about—the Villages at Vigneto development. As the letter points out, “The parallels between the Vigneto case and the Hammonds’ pardons raise significant concerns about another potential case of bribery under the Trump administration and warrant further investigation.” Background on the Villages at Vigneto Criminal ReferralOn May 11, 2022, after a years-long investigation, Chair Grijalva and Rep. Porter sent the Committee’s first-ever <a href="https://naturalresources.house.gov/media/press-releases/chair-grijalva-rep-porter-refer-former-interior-secretary-bernhardt-villages-at-vigneto-developer-to-justice-department-alleging-criminal-bribery" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">criminal referral</a> to DOJ outlining evidence of potential bribery between Trump administration officials, including then-DOI Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt, and Ingram regarding the Villages at Vigneto (Vigneto) real estate development.The Committee’s investigation began in April 2019 when the Arizona Daily Star <a href="https://tucson.com/news/local/ex-federal-official-i-got-rolled-by-trump-administration-to-ease-way-for-vigneto-housing/article_e6d7a688-0a63-5f88-b993-24384d87a4bd.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">reported</a> that Steve Spangle, a now-retired Field Supervisor at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Arizona office, claimed he was directed by a “high level politico” to reverse the agency’s decision about Vigneto in late 2017. Later reporting revealed that then–DOI Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt was the “politico.”The investigation found that—shortly after holding a secret breakfast meeting with Dep. Secretary Bernhardt—Ingram and 12 other individuals, many of whom maintained personal or professional relationships with him, donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the Trump Victory Fund and the Republican National Committee. All of the donations occurred on or near Oct. 6, 2017, the same day that a major federal action regarding Vigneto was made in Ingram’s favor.Weeks later, on Oct. 26, 2017, Spangle officially reversed FWS’ decision on Vigneto, marking the final greenlight for the development.Concurrent with standard practice, DOJ has not yet commented on whether they have pursued the investigation.<h3 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-top: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Press Contact</h3>Media Contact: <a href="mailto:Lindsay.Gressard@mail.house.gov" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; cursor: pointer; outline: none; border: none; filter: none;">Lindsay Gressard</a>202-225-6065 | cell: 202-740-4715</div><div>=</div></div><div><div></div><div><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/aiming-to-take-down-fox-donald-trump-jr-reportedly-investing-in-far-right-oann/">https://www.alternet.org/2020/05/aiming-to-take-down-fox-donald-trump-jr-reportedly-investing-in-far-right-oann/</a></div><div>
</div><div>Investors aligned with Donald Trump Jr. and Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Tommy Hicks Jr. have acquired a major stake in One America News Network (OANN), sources familiar with the deal told Vanity Fair.“Tommy Hicks and Don Jr. have been looking to buy a station for Trump TV,” a person briefed on the negotiations told Vanity Fair.“This is all about building a Fox competitor. Trump is really aiming to take down Fox,” the person said.The report is the first to connect the Trump family to the acquisition, discussions of which were first <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-allies-explore-buyout-of-conservative-news-channel-one-america-news-network-11578696767" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">reported</a> in January by the Wall Street Journal.The Journal reported that Hicks Equity Partners, a firm belonging to the family of Tommy Hicks Jr., the RNC co-chair, was negotiating a $250 million deal with Herring Networks, the parent company of OANN, a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/5/13/18617594/trump-one-america-news-network-explained" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">low-impact</a> far-right network that offers a home to the likes of Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec and has <a href="https://hillreporter.com/6-conspiracy-theories-promoted-by-oann-trumps-new-favorite-news-outlet-32633" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">defended Roy Moore</a> and <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-new-favorite-network-oann-embraces-russian-propaganda" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">endorsed Russian propaganda</a>.Sources told Vanity Fair the deal has stumbled along for months and still hasn’t closed, but that the Trump-affiliated group had reportedly talked Herring down to $200 million. VF said it was also unclear whether Donald Trump Jr. invested Trump money in the deal, or was given equity.As the buyout talks progressed, President Trump has repeatedly expressed his growing distaste with Fox News — long perceived as the only network he likes, and certainly the only network that consciously slants coverage and analysis in his favor.Last month <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/20/trump-warns-americans-that-fox-news-is-on-a-bad-path-after-nancy-pelosi-appears-on-the-network/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Trump accused Fox News of “being on a bad path,”</a> and has <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/13/trump-wants-to-know-what-the-hell-is-happening-at-fox-news-its-a-whole-new-ballgame-over-there/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">asked twice now</a> “what the hell is happening” at the network. He <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/02/trump-attacks-fox-news-reporter-for-asking-about-disbanded-pandemic-team-are-you-working-for-cnn/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">attacked Fox reporters</a> twice last month <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-attacks-fox-news-reporter-kristin-fisher-during-coronavirus-press-briefing" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">during White House coronavirus briefings</a>, and has taken several potshots at several of the channel’s shows and personalities, <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1222183788211470336" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">tweeting</a> in January that Fox News was “really pathetic” and “so politically correct,” <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/02/21/trump-attacks-fox-news-neil-cavuto-network-stars-jump-his-defense/4829214002/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">singling out Chris Wallace’s impeachment coverage</a>.After it was reported that Fox had fired MAGA-world luminaries Diamond and Silk for hawking ludicrous coronavirus conspiracy theories, Trump <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/28/trump-pushes-back-against-fox-news-for-cutting-his-most-loyal-supporters-i-love-diamond-and-silk/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">tweeted</a> his support for the duo: “But I love Diamond and Silk, and so do millions of people!”In late April, <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/27/trump-demands-an-alternative-to-fox-news-as-he-accuses-the-network-of-spreading-misinformation/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">Trump took to Twitter once again to call for an alt-Fox, pro-himself network</a>:“The people who are watching @FoxNews, in record numbers (thank you President Trump), are angry,” he wrote. “They want an alternative now. So do I!”During this same period, Trump often promoted OANN, providing the nascent network — which is <a href="https://hillreporter.com/6-conspiracy-theories-promoted-by-oann-trumps-new-favorite-news-outlet-32633" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">viewed with disdain by many reputable journalists</a> — with cover <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/oann-reporter-says-white-house-invited-her-back-to-coronavirus-briefings-after-removal-from-whca-rotation" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">against the White House Correspondents’ Association</a>. Trump even plugged OANN by name in <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249093268920467457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1249093268920467457&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdidtrumptweetit.com%2F1249094316242481152-2%2F" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">a tweet last month</a> as the alternative he has been asking for.But <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/5/13/18617594/trump-one-america-news-network-explained" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">this isn’t the first time</a> Trump has appeared to be switching media mistresses. When Fox soothes him, he reciprocates. When they rankle him, he pumps OANN.OANN, which has roughly one-third of Fox’s reach, with ratings <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-new-favorite-network-oann-embraces-russian-propaganda" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">reportedly</a> lower than the Tennis Channel, appears to have no problem <a href="https://www.vox.com/2019/5/13/18617594/trump-one-america-news-network-explained" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">serving as the president’s megaphone</a>.For instance, OANN hired former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo — the newly-hired spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services who recently disgraced himself with <a href="https://www.salon.com/2020/04/24/trumps-new-health-and-human-services-spokesman-tweeted-racist-remarks-and-conspiracy-theories/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">a barrage of racist, pandemic-related tweets</a> — who hosted a special program dedicated to “the Ukraine Hoax.” Late last year a network crew accompanied Rudy Giuliani and <a href="https://www.salon.com/2019/11/10/who-is-rudy-giulianis-friend-charles-an-accidental-text-may-have-outed-his-identity/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">personal assistant Christianné Allen</a> on a trip to Ukraine, which resulted in a <a href="https://www.oann.com/oaninvestigates/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">three-part series</a> that mainlined viewers with apparent Russian disinformation.Spokespeople for Trump Jr. and Hicks denied involvement in the deal to Vanity Fair.President Trump, who is in no financial position to acquire Fox News, views OANN as a fallback business opportunity should former Vice President Joe Biden defeat him in November, according to Vanity Fair, which reported the president might look to OANN as a “post-presidential television platform.”The cash from the buyout will reportedly help OANN increase its production values and campaign to expand its viewership, two elements Trump would demand of any home for a post-White House TV home.Trump Jr. and Hicks have been wrapped in scandal before. The president’s eldest son and his younger brother Eric were — along with Hicks and Dallas-based investment manager Gentry Beach — co-registrants for a nonprofit called Opening Day, which insinuated itself in Trump’s inauguration. Trump’s sons had to abandon the organization weeks after its inauguration event was announced, amid <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2016/12/21/eric-trump-donald-trump-jr-distance-themselves-from-dallas-based-nonprofit-s-inauguration-party/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;">allegations that they were selling access</a> to their father.An associate of Gentry Beach declined to comment when Salon inquired about his possible involvement in the OANN deal.</div><div>
</div></div><div></div><div>A <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3243182-BUSINESS-ORGANIZATIONS-INQUIRY-VIEW-ENTITY.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">new Texas nonprofit</a> led by Donald Trump’s grown sons is offering access to the freshly-minted president during inauguration weekend — all in exchange for million-dollar donations to unnamed “conservation” charities, according to interviews and documents reviewed by the <a href="https://www.publicintegrity.org/politics" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">Center for Public Integrity</a>.And the donors’ identities may never be known.   Prospective million-dollar donors to the “Opening Day 2017” event — slated for Jan. 21, the day after inauguration, at Washington, D.C.’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center — receive a “private reception and photo opportunity for 16 guests with President Donald J. Trump,” a “multi-day hunting and/or fishing excursion for 4 guests with Donald Trump, Jr. and/or Eric Trump, and team,” as well as tickets to other events and “autographed guitars by an Opening Day 2017 performer.”  Website <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2016/12/16/donald-trump-inauguration-party/" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">TMZ.com</a> first published <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3243183-Opening-Day-2017-Redacted.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">a brochure</a> hyping the happening. The brochure says that “all net proceeds from the Opening Day event will be donated to conservation charities,” but it does not name the charities or detail how net proceeds will be calculated.Who’s behind the get-together?Walter Kinzie, chief executive officer of Texas event management company <a href="http://www.encorelive.com/about/" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">Encore Live</a>, confirmed to the Center for Public Integrity that a nonprofit group called the Opening Day Foundation hired his firm to manage Opening Day 2017.A Center for Public Integrity review of Texas incorporation records found the Opening Day Foundation was created less than a week ago, on Dec. 14. Unlike political committees, such nonprofits aren’t required by law to reveal their donors, allowing sponsors to write seven-figure checks for access to the president while staying anonymous, if they choose.The paperwork for the Opening Day Foundation listed four directors: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Dallas investor Gentry Beach and Tom Hicks Jr., the son of a Dallas billionaire.Beach and Hicks are reportedly <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2016/11/11/two-young-dallas-guns-helped-deliver-white-house-trump" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">close friends</a> with Donald Trump Jr., and both men helped raise millions of dollars for Trump’s campaign.“The event is being put on by the Opening Day Foundation,” Kinzie confirmed, adding: “There are a number of different individuals who are part of the foundation.”Kinzie also said the information in the brochure posted by TMZ.com was not entirely accurate — he did not specify what was incorrect — and he added that the participation of Trump family members is not confirmed.The Trump Organization, a spokeswoman for President-elect Trump and the presidential transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Hicks and Beach also did not immediately respond to phone messages requesting comment.The <a href="http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/Opening_Day_2017_Redacted.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">brochure</a> for “Opening Day 2017,” an event described as “honoring President Donald J. Trump,” offers sponsor packages ranging from $25,000 to $1 million. The event will “celebrate the great American tradition of outdoor sporting, shooting, fishing and conservation,” the brochure states.Mike Ingram, an Arizona developer who is listed as one of the co-chairmen, said Beach approached him to help."I’m honored to do it," he said. "It’s not going to be a black tie event. It’s going to be boots and jeans and camouflage and it’s going to raise a lot of money to go to sportsman’s charities" and conservation charities, he said.Ingram said he could not confirm the Trump family's participation.“This is problematic on so many levels,” said Larry Noble, the general counsel of the <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1OPRB_enUS704US704&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lawrence%20noble%20campaign%20legal%20center" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">Campaign Legal Center</a>, a nonpartisan campaign reform organization. “This is Donald Trump and the Trump family using a brand new organization to raise $1 million contributions for a vague goal of giving money to conservation charities, which seems a way of basically just selling influence and selling the ability to meet with the president.”Noble cautioned that the details of the event and its association with the new nonprofit listing the Trump brothers as directors are still unclear.“It’s really hard to identify all the problems when they’re so vague,” he said.The Trump family has recently endured criticism for appearing to sell access to Trump’s adult children, who serve on the executive committee of Trump’s presidential <a href="https://greatagain.gov/president-elect-trump-announces-new-transition-vice-chairs-executive-committee-members-f654cca0c9e9#.flwqityck" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">transition team</a> and have functioned as key advisers since he began his campaign.The family <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/16/us/politics/ivanka-trump-charity-auction.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">canceled</a> an auction for coffee with Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump last week after ethics experts said it was ethically questionable, according to the New York Times. The proceeds of the auction would have gone to the Eric Trump Foundation, an <a href="https://www.erictrumpfoundation.com/welcome" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">existing nonprofit</a> whose mission is to support a children’s hospital.Update, 4:18 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20: Trump's transition team emailed a statement from spokeswoman Hope Hicks. It reads: "The Opening Day event and details that have been reported are merely initial concepts that have not been approved or pursued by the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are avid outdoorsmen and supporters of conservation efforts, which align with the goals of this event, however they are not involved in any capacity."A Trump transition official told the Center for Public Integrity that the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3244010-Texasdocument.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">registration document</a> for the Opening Day Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Opening Day 2017 event, "will be amended" and that the names of Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump will be removed.The statement and transition official did not address Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump serving as directors of the Opening Day Foundation. Nor did it explain how the Trump brothers came to be listed on the event's brochure, which organizers circulated among conservative political donors in recent days.Beach is listed in the Opening Day Foundation's signed <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3244010-Texasdocument.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">registration document</a> as the group's registered agent. Texas nonprofit <a href="http://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms/202_boc.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">registration forms</a> state that including "materially false" information is subject to "penalties imposed by law."Houston-based lawyer <a href="https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Find_A_Lawyer&template=/Customsource/MemberDirectory/MemberDirectoryDetail.cfm&ContactID=206559" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">Thomas M. Gregor</a> signed Opening Day Foundation's <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3244010-Texasdocument.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">registration document</a> under penalty of perjury. Gregor could not immediately be reached for comment.This story is republished with permission from the <a href="https://www.publicintegrity.org/2016/12/19/20564/donald-trumps-sons-behind-nonprofit-selling-access-president-elect" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(161, 210, 223); box-shadow: rgb(161, 210, 223) 0px -1px 0px 0px inset; text-decoration-line: none;">Center for Public Integrity</a>, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative media organization in Washington.</div><div></div><div>tpusa off bs</div><div>
</div><div><h3 data-fontsize="24" data-lineheight="28" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; font-family: " open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-weight="font-weight" line-height="line-height" font-size="font-size" px="px" color="color" rgb="rgb" background-color="background-color">homas O. Hicks, Jr.</h3><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Tommy Hicks is a Partner of Hicks Holdings LLC, having joined at its inception in 2005.  Hicks Holdings is a family investment firm looking for opportunistic control, co-control or growth equity investments of all sizes. Hicks is a Founding Partner of Scout SSG, LLC, an investment firm looking primarily to deploy capital into distressed and other special situations.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Hicks serves as a Director for Resolute Energy Corporation (NYSE: REN) and Drilling Tools International, Inc., a leading provider of downhole drilling tools to the international land and offshore markets.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Hicks previously served on the board of Carol’s Daughter Holdings in 2014, which was acquired by L’Oreal, and Berkshire Resources LLC from 2006-2008, when it was acquired by Chesapeake Energy.  He also served on the boards of Standard Industrial Manufacturing Partners LTD from 2016-2017 and Sight Sciences, Inc from 2016-2017.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Hicks is Chairman of America First Action PAC, the primary super PAC dedicated to electing federal candidates who support the agenda of the Trump-Pence administration. He is also Chairman of America First Policies, a non-profit organization supporting key policy initiatives.  He is on the national advisory board for Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group focused on developing grassroots in college campuses.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Prior to the 2016 Presidential Election, Hicks served as National Finance Co-Chairman for Donald J. Trump for President.  He served as Vice-Chairman of the Finance Committee for the 2017 Presidential Inauguration and worked with the Transition Team following the election.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Hicks served on the national board of the American Enterprise Institute’s Enterprise Club from 2015-2018 and was a founding member for its Dallas Chapter, established in 2014.  He also served as Chairman for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Texas Campaign for Children in Crisis from 2006 through 2008, successfully raising over $35 million and served on its executive board from 2008 through 2016.  He was Chapter Chair of Young Presidents Organization Dallas Chapter in 2014-2015.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Prior to his involvement with Hicks Holdings, Mr. Hicks was an analyst at Greenhill, a New York-based merchant banking firm. As an analyst, Mr. Hicks was involved in numerous private equity, mergers and acquisition advisory and financial restructuring transactions. He also served several roles for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and Dallas Stars Hockey Club from 2004 through 2011.<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;" open="Open" sans="Sans" arial="Arial" helvetica="Helvetica" sans-serif="sans-serif" font-size="font-size" px="px" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">Hicks graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. Hicks, his wife Alexandra and three daughters reside in Dallas, Texas.<div>
</div><div><p style="margin: 20px 0px 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Kirk, a former contributor to Breitbart News, the online platform of the racist alt-right, is an ally of the Trump administration. He worked for the Trump campaign in 2016 and spoke at the Republican National Convention that year. Kirk has appeared on Fox News alongside members of the Trump family.<p style="margin: 20px 0px 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Two members of the TPUSA advisory council, investor <a href="https://www.tpusa.com/aboutus/advisory-council/gentry-beach/" rel="nofollow" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Gentry Beach</a> and <a href="https://www.tpusa.com/thomas-o-hicks-jr/" rel="nofollow" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Thomas Hicks, Jr.</a>, the son of a Dallas billionaire, worked with Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric to establish a Texas nonprofit to <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2016/12/19/donald-trumps-sons-behind-texas-nonprofit-selling-/" rel="nofollow" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">sell access to the president</a> to big donors during inauguration festivities in January. Beach and Hicks, who were both national vice chairmen of the Trump campaign, <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/donald-trump-1/2017/05/22/art-schmooze-trump-pal-dallas-enjoys-special-access-white-house" rel="nofollow" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">raised millions of dollars</a> for the campaign. Beach has visited the White House multiple times in 2017.<p style="margin: 20px 0px 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Beach’s father, Gary, was <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/donald-trump-1/2017/05/22/art-schmooze-trump-pal-dallas-enjoys-special-access-white-house" rel="nofollow" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">indicted</a> on five charges of bankruptcy fraud in 2016. Charlie Kirk's father is allegedly <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150512012916/http://www.groupaarch.com:80/staff/principal.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Robert W. Kirk</a>, the project architect manager for Trump Tower in New York City.<p style="margin: 20px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px none; list-style: none outside none; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“We stay totally removed from restricted political activity,” said Kirk. “Instead, we focus on starting chapters, hosting debates on campus, planning training seminars, and hosting national training conferences such as our upcoming one in Palm Beach in December.”ref
https://www.buzzfeed.com/aramroston/trump-campaign-co-chair-was-part-of-team-pushing-to?utm_term=.nbZQwp9vr#.swY5yXWN8
<div class="subbuzz subbuzz-text

xs-mb4 xs-relative " data-module="subbuzz-text" id="mod-subbuzz-text-1" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 2rem !important; position: relative !important;">Thomas O. Hicks Jr., a wealthy friend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top Trump fundraiser, helped a security company pushing the Trump administration to outsource intelligence missions and covert operations, according to three sources familiar with the plan.Over the summer and fall, the White House and CIA considered a package of proposals to privatize intelligence operations, including a plan to snatch terrorists overseas in a rendition action, as <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/aramroston/trump-administration-mulls-private-rendition?utm_term=.bsnxnn2Kq#.dh5wdd91J" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">BuzzFeed News first disclosed</a>. At the center of the plan was a security and intelligence company called Amyntor Group, headquartered in Whitefish, Montana, associated with figures from the Iran-Contra operation of the 1980s. Hicks brokered introductions for this company.Hicks was the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/president-elect-trumps-private-equity-brain-trust-1480338470" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">national finance co-chair</a> of the Trump campaign, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/president-elect-trumps-private-equity-brain-trust-1480338470" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">vice chair of the inauguration committee</a>, and a close friend and hunting buddy of the president’s son, Donald Jr. The 40-year-old Hicks is the son of the billionaire who used to own the Texas Rangers. His role — not previously disclosed — in the effort to secretly privatize intelligence operations underscores the clout and influence of those pushing the Trump administration to take these unusual steps.Hicks met with key Amyntor figures, according to two sources who were told about the meetings by participants, at least once in a special suite in the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, that was billed as secure from electronic surveillance. That room was dubbed the “Tinfoil” suite, <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/12/04/trump-white-house-weighing-plans-for-private-spies-to-counter-deep-state-enemies/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">the Intercept</a> reported in December. The two sources say he made introductions for Amyntor, though it is unclear to whom he introduced the company officials.A lawyer for Amyntor, Raymond R. Granger, provided a statement to BuzzFeed News, confirming that Hicks helped broker meetings for the company.<blockquote style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 1.5rem 1rem; padding: 1rem; quotes: none; width: auto; background: rgb(244, 244, 244); border-left: 5px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); overflow: hidden;">“Tommy Hicks introduced business people he knew to Amyntor representatives as a courtesy to both so the business people could determine whether they were interested in hiring Amyntor. Some of the introductions may have occurred at the Trump International Hotel. Neither Mr. Hicks nor any business with which he is affiliated has hired Amyntor. Furthermore, Mr. Hicks has not, directly or indirectly, invested in or otherwise provided money to Amyntor. With respect to the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr. has nothing to do with Amyntor.”</blockquote>A representative for Hicks, Arthur Schwartz, declined to address specific questions but said “Mr. Hicks’ role and knowledge” concerning the privatization effort “have been grossly exaggerated.” Donald Trump Jr.’s attorney and the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.A major reason for the effort to privatize espionage was the belief by some of those involved that the “deep state,” a shadowy network in the government, was sabotaging Trump’s agenda, and that to work effectively Trump, had to use channels outside the CIA. (The president has used the term “deep state” in a <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948174033882927104" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">tweet</a>, though in reference to the Justice Department rather than the CIA.)Three sources with knowledge of the company’s proposals have told BuzzFeed News that CIA director Michael Pompeo and other agency officials met Amyntor executives. The CIA declined to comment. Some officials at the National Security Council were also briefed on it, though an NSC spokesperson said that the head of the council, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, and other officials had not been aware of it.After BuzzFeed News exposed the scheme, some intelligence officials privately argued that they had not taken it seriously, and that they were merely humoring those involved. “None of this makes sense,” said one former official who was briefed on it. Amyntor’s advocates were insisting that “we need to do this off the books,” he said.White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders, asked about it in December, said she had not asked the president but “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/press-briefing-press-secretary-sarah-sanders-120517/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">it’s not something that’s currently in the works.</a>”<a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/12/04/trump-white-house-weighing-plans-for-private-spies-to-counter-deep-state-enemies/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">The Intercept</a> reported that Oliver North and Erik Prince were also involved in the scheme. North is the former Marine Corps officer who was at the center of the Reagan-era Iran-Contra scandal and later became a Fox News TV personality. In the summer and fall of 2017, three sources say, North was involved in meetings and phone calls for the Amyntor plan. North did not respond to phone calls and an email.Erik Prince, the Blackwater founder, denied involvement through his spokesperson. Prince had been an associate of an Amyntor official, John Maguire. Maguire didn’t return calls for comment.It’s not clear how Hicks first connected with Amyntor and the cadre of intelligence figures associated with it.Hicks is a supporter of America First Action, the <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/02/trump-super-pac-100-million-244368" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">new pro-Trump super PAC</a>. He’s on the <a href="https://www.tpusa.com/thomas-o-hicks-jr/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">advisory board of Turning Point USA</a>, a group that organizes college students to support conservative political causes, and was recently <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conservative-nonprofit-that-seeks-to-transform-college-campuses-faces-allegations-of-racial-bias-and-illegal-campaign-activity" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">profiled in the New Yorker</a>. </div><div class="text-gray-lighter fill-gray-lighter xs-mb4" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: rgb(244, 244, 244) !important; margin-bottom: 2rem !important;"><div class="user-bio xs-pt2 xs-px2" style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-top: 1rem !important; padding-left: 1rem !important; padding-right: 1rem !important;">Aram Roston is an investigative reporter and editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC. His secure PGP fingerprint is D861 374F D725 4F61 39C0 08F1 4575 134B 09D9 B28DContact Aram Roston at <a href="mailto:aram.roston@buzzfeed.com" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">aram.roston@buzzfeed.com</a>.</div>Got a confidential tip? <a href="https://contact.buzzfeed.com/" style="box-sizing: inherit; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;">Submit it here</a>.</div>==</div></div>