What’s the purpose of having a National Security Council? After all, Trump flips his foreign policy 180 degrees without consulting anyone, the makeup of the council seems to change depending on who’s winning the Talked To Trump Last sweepstakes, and those plans for defeating ISIS and providing US cyber-security seem to be missing in action.
But Mic reports that Trump has found one good purpose for the NSC. He can sell visits with the council for big dollars.
On Jan. 19, just a day before President Donald Trump's inauguration, a businessman named R. W. Habboush gave two donations to Trump's inauguration committee. One donation came in at $166,000 and a second at $500,000 — amounting to a whopping $666,000.
Two and a half weeks later, as detailed in an exclusive Mic report, Habboush's son Wadie found himself in a pair of high-level meetings at the White House. Wadie Habboush met with with National Security Council officials and Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon. The subject at hand was how to open up business with Venezuela, which is heavily sanctioned by the United States.
Someone pays Trump off, Trump launches into talks about lifting sanctions. Why does that seem familiar?
Wadie Habboush and another businessman named Gentry Beach arranged the meetings with the aim of lifting U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, which could pave the way for opportunities in the country for U.S. businesses. Beach has close ties to Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.
By total coincidence, Venezuela’s state-owned oil company also sent half a million to Trump’s inauguration. Under Obama, Venezuela was a socialist threat to stability in the Americas. Under Trump, they’re — a good source of extra funding.