The US Department of Justice is being asked to look into the circumstances surrounding the Clinton Foundation and their conduct in relation to the controversial Uranium One deal. According to NBC News, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reportedly asking the Justice Department to consider potentially appointing a Special Counsel to look into the allegations, which have been raised by Republicans citing concerns over the legality of the deal. For several months there have been growing calls (led nightly by Fox News' Sean Hannity) from the right in America to investigate alleged corruption regarding the deal.
The sale of 20% of U.S Uranium to Russia
Following intense questioning from both Republicans and Democrats, Attorney General Jeff Sessions moved quickly to quell the growing speculation regarding the imminent appointment of a Special Counsel. Sessions said the appointment would only be made after a "study of what the facts are." The Uranium One deal involved the previously Canadian owned company Uranium One, and the Clinton's involvement in the deal has been in question for many months now, especially since the appointment of a Special Counsel to look into Donald Trump's campaigns alleged collusion with Russian officials.
The controversy surrounding the Uranium One deal has raised questions surrounding the Clinton's own dealings with Russian officials.
Some of the key points of a potential scandal involving the Uranium One deal involves the donation of millions of dollars from UrAsia Energy owner Frank Giustra to the Clinton Foundation. UrAsia Energy is a company which was purchased by Uranium One in 2007, which held Kazakhstan's largest Uranium interest. Bill Clinton was heavily involved in some of these transactions.
Questions raised
The Russian connection came into play when a subsidiary of Russian company Rosatom purchased a sixteen percent share in Uranium One in return for a fifty percent stake in the Kazak Uranium interest. Following other deals, Russian company Rosatom purchased Uranium One outright in 2013. This has raised many questions regarding the Clinton's involvement, the deal of the purchase of Uranium One had to be authorised by the then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and this is seen by many as an indication of corruption.
This due to the fact the Clinton's had gained financially because of the Uranium One deal. It was reported that Bill Clinton was being paid up to five hundred thousand dollars per speaking visit by a Russian investment bank that had ties to the Kremlin that was promoting the Uranium One stock. It is estimated the Uranium One deal amounted to the sale of twenty percent of America's Uranium to Russia.
The allegations surrounding the Uranium One deal has been seen by some on the left as an attempt to deflect blame from the Trump campaign and their own alleged ties to Russian interests. There are, however, many perplexing questions regarding the Uranium One deal. In the interest of fair justice under the law, many think the potential appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate the Uranium One deal is long overdue.
