McConnell and Corker: Follow the Money

Doug Ross writes

The behavior of Mitch McConnell and Bob Corker over the last six months has been nothing less than horrifying.

Barack Obama’s treasonous Iran deal will — and there is no debate regarding this — reward the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism with upwards of $150 billion. China and Russia are champing at the bit to sell Iran as many advanced weapon systems as they can.

Corker and McConnell ceded the Senate’s Constitutional powers to approve any treaty by reversing the balance of power. Instead of the president requiring two-thirds of the Senate, a Corker (read: McConnell) bill reversed the equation. It’s called “Failure Theater“: pretend to oppose Obama’s radical policies while actually supporting him.

I was interested to find out why. This is a life and death matter. Iran’s incessant chants of “Death to America” make that much clear. Why would these ostensible “Republicans” allow such a nightmare to proceed?

Follow the money. Who are the most recent donors to Mitch McConnell?

1. Blackstone Group ($185,800) – Blackstone Group has multiple subsidiaries that have done business recently with Iran, including TravelPort and TRW. Earlier this year, Blackstone was asked whether it would invest in Iran after the Obama nuclear deal, it denied having immediate interest (“it’ll be a while”).

2. Goldman Sachs ($113,325) – GS entered the uranium market in 2009 and its associated business unit (NUFCOR) has been involved in Iran’s uranium deals since the seventies. In 2007, GS listed Iran among its most promising emerging markets, citiing opportunities in energy, human capital and technology.

4. JPMorgan Chase ($97,075) – in 2011, JPM paid $88.3 million in fines over a series of financial transactions related to Cuba, Iran and Sudan. JPM is also involved in litgation with victims of the 1983 Marine Corp barracks bombing in 1983 through Italian bank Clearstream. JPM has a waiver from the Treasury Department to do business with Iran.

10. General Electric ($74,995) – GE has had a long, sordid history of business dealings with Iran. More recently, The Street reported that GE has a “head start in Iran” that could result ina “bonzanza of new access to an economy eager to buy everything from the newest cell phones to the most modern oil production equipment”. GE has a waiver from the Treasury Department to do business with Iran.

11. Citigroup ($70,400) – $1.75 billion from Iran was “discovered” in a Citibank account. Citigroup has a waiver from the Treasury Department to do business with Iran.

And recent donors to Bob Corker? Like McConnell, Corker received substantial donations from JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and the following organizations:

7. Apollo Global Management ($40,750) – Apollo recently “disclosed that portfolio company LyondellBasell Industries (Apollo funds owned 19.6%) reported collecting €4.2 million in revenue and €2.4 million in profit last year from Iranian entities.”

9. Hercules Holding ($40,000) – Hercules has a waiver from the Treasury Department to do business with Iran.

12. Allianz ($33,800) – Allianz recently announced its intent to cease doing business in Iran.

14. Pilot Corp. ($33,100) – Pilot has ties to a company said to have “direct business dealings in the country of Iran.”

If Iran kills a single American in the future, these men should face a firing squad.

Yes, I said it. And it’s true.