Tag: Rick Perry

Energy Chief Perry Pressured Ukraine Gas Company To Favor Trump Don

As Rudy Giuliani was pushing Ukrainian officials last spring to investigate one of Donald Trump’s main political rivals, a group of individuals with ties to the president and his personal lawyer were also active in the former Soviet republic.

This circle of businessmen and Republican donors touted connections to Giuliani and Trump while trying to install new management at the top of Ukraine’s massive state gas company. Their plan was to then steer lucrative contracts to companies controlled by Trump allies, according to two people with knowledge of their plans.

Their plan hit a snag after then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko lost his reelection bid to Volodymyr Zelensky, whose conversation with Trump about former Vice President Joe Biden is now at the center of the House impeachment inquiry of Trump.

View the complete October 7 article from the Associated Press on the National Memo website here.

‘Most implausible alibi I’ve ever heard’: Trump mocked for blaming Rick Perry for Ukraine call

AlterNet logoDuring a conference call with House Republicans on Friday, President Donald Trump reportedly blamed Energy Secretary Rick Perry for the July 25 call with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that is at the center of Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

Citing three anonymous sources who were on the conference call, Axios reported Saturday that “Trump rattled off the same things he has been saying publicly—that his call with Zelensky was ‘perfect’ and he did nothing wrong.”

“But he then threw Perry into the mix and said something to the effect of: ‘Not a lot of people know this but, I didn’t even want to make the call. The only reason I made the call was because Rick asked me to. Something about an LNG [liquified natural gas] plant,’” Axios reported, citing one source’s recollection of the president’s remarks.

View the complete October 6 article by Jake Johnson from Common Dreams on the AlterNet website here.

Scoop: Trump pins Ukraine call on Energy Secretary Rick Perry U.S. President Donald Trump stands next to Energy Secretary Rick Perry

Axios logoPresident Trump told House Republicans that he made his now infamous phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the urging of Energy Secretary Rick Perry — a call Trump claimed he didn’t even want to make.

Behind the scenes: Trump made these comments during a conference call with House members on Friday, according to 3 sources on the call.

    • Per the sources, Trump rattled off the same things he has been saying publicly — that his call with Zelensky was “perfect”and he did nothing wrong.
    • But he then threw Perry into the mix and said something to the effect of: “Not a lot of people know this but, I didn’t even want to make the call. The only reason I made the call was because Rick asked me to. Something about an LNG [liquefied natural gas] plant,” one source said, recalling the president’s comments. 2 other sources confirmed the first source’s recollection.

Why it matters: The president’s remarks suggest he may be seeking to distance himself from responsibility or recast the pretext for the call. White House officials did not respond to requests for comment.

    • Another source on the call said Trump added that “more of this will be coming out in the next few days” — referring to Perry.

View the complete October 5 article by Alayna Treene and Jonathan Swan on the Axios website here.

Rick Perry planning to step down as energy secretary by year end

Washington Post logoEnergy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to step down from his post by the end of the year, according to four individuals briefed on his plans, making him one of about a dozen Cabinet members to leave their post during President Trump’s administration.

Perry probably will return to the private sector, one of these individuals said. All four spoke on the condition of anonymity because no formal announcement has been made.

The former Texas governor, who has touted fossil fuels but also research into alternative energy since taking office, has not enacted the same sweeping policy changes as his counterparts at the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.

View the complete October 3 article by Juliet Eilperin and Josh Dawsey on The Washington Post website here.

Rick Perry Planning His Exit as Trump’s Energy Secretary, Sources Say

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is planning to leave the Trump administration and is finalizing the terms and timing of his departure, according to two people familiar with his plans.

While Perry’s exit isn’t imminent and one person familiar with the matter said the former Texas governor still hasn’t fully made up his mind, three people said he has been seriously considering his departure for weeks. All of the people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

An Energy Department spokeswoman, Shaylyn Hynes, rejected the idea that Perry would be leaving the administration any time soon. “He is happy where he is serving President Trump and leading the Department of Energy,” she said in a statement.

View the complete April 17 article by Jennifer Jacobs, Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Ari Natter on the Bloomberg News website here.

Trump administration authorized nuclear energy companies to share technological information with Saudi Arabia

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry behind President Trump at the 2017. Credit: Steve Helber, AP

The Trump administration has kept secret seven authorizations it has issued since November 2017 allowing U.S. nuclear energy companies to share sensitive technological information with Saudi Arabia, even though the kingdom has not yet agreed to anti-proliferation terms required to construct a pair of U.S.-designed civilian nuclear power plants.

The Energy Department and State Department have not only kept the authorizations from the public but also refused to share information about them with congressional committees that have jurisdiction over nuclear proliferation and safety.

The authorizations, issued to at least six companies, cover “Part 810” information, named for a regulatory clause that allows U.S. companies to divulge some design information to compete for contracts with foreign buyers. The regulations for Part 810 technology-sharing provide a list of “generally authorized destinations.” Saudi Arabia is not on the list.

View the complete March 28 article by Steve Mufson on The Washington Post website here.

Rick Perry’s premium class travel cost taxpayers $63,500 last year in first 7 months alone

The following article by E. A. Crunden was psoted on the ThinkProgress website May 31, 2018:

He joins a growing list of White House officials linked to outsized spending at the expense of taxpayers.

U. Energy Secretary Rick Perry attends the official arrival ceremony for French President Emmanuel Macron on the South Lawn of the White House April 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. Credit: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Energy Secretary Rick Perry is the latest Trump administration official to be linked to costly spending and travel habits. The Energy Department says it spent approximately $63,500 on Perry’s flights alone during his first seven months heading the agency.

According to internal tracking conducted regularly by the Energy Department, Perry took 12 business or first class flights during the 2017 fiscal year, ABC reported Thursday after obtaining the department’s travel logs. Despite the availability of coach fares on all of the flights disclosed, the department paid for Perry’s upgraded travel — adding $51,000 to the total cost in the process. Continue reading “Rick Perry’s premium class travel cost taxpayers $63,500 last year in first 7 months alone”

Rick Perry and Ryan Zinke team up to deliver wildly hypocritical speech at CPAC

The following article by Mark Hand was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 23, 2018:

Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Speak at the CPAC 2018 Conference in Maryland on 2/23/18. Credit: Screenshot/Webcas

Calling himself a “foot soldier in the army” of the conservative moment, Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Friday hailed President Trump’s war on government rules. This is despite the Department of Energy waging a months-long campaign in 2017 to allow the government, not free markets, decide what types of fuel sources should be used to generate electricity.

Perry, speaking at the annual CPAC convention in National Harbor, Maryland, told the audience that regulatory restraint is “how you change this country forever.” Continue reading “Rick Perry and Ryan Zinke team up to deliver wildly hypocritical speech at CPAC”

Releasing this picture got a Department of Energy photographer fired. He doesn’t regret it.

The following article by Mark Hand was posted on the ThinkProgress website January 22, 2018:

Simon Edelman leaked a photo of coal baron Robert Murray’s “action plan.”

MURRAY ENERGY CEO ROBERT MURRAY PRESENTED ENERGY SECRETARY RICK PERRY WITH AN ACTION PLAN AT A MARCH 29, 2017 MEETING AT DOE HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON. CREDIT: SIMON EDELMAN

A Department of Energy photographer who was fired after releasing photos he took of a meeting between Energy Secretary Rick Perry and a prominent coal executive wants federal authorities to open a criminal investigation into what he calls “public corruption” between Perry and the industry official.

At the meeting, photographer Simon Edelman said Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray asked Perry for policy changes that would directly benefit his coal company and the executive’s personal financial position. The reason to release the photos “was to show the evidence of corruption that was taking place,” Edelman told ThinkProgress. Continue reading “Releasing this picture got a Department of Energy photographer fired. He doesn’t regret it.”

Trump administration plan to prop up coal and nuclear markets rejected by regulators

The following article by Evan Halper was posted on the Los Angeles Times website January 8, 2018:

Secretary Rick Perry

Trump administration plan to force utilities to purchase more coal and nuclear power was rejected Monday by federal regulators, undermining the president’s energy agenda and his promise to revive the coal industry.

The five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is dominated by Trump appointees, unanimously rejected the proposal. Its members were not persuaded by arguments from Energy Secretary Rick Perry that solar, wind and other forms of renewable power were destabilizing the nation’s power grid and needed to be backstopped with more coal and nuclear power at a considerable cost to consumers. Continue reading “Trump administration plan to prop up coal and nuclear markets rejected by regulators”