Probe of Trump’s ‘Quid Pro Quo’ Offer to Oil Giants Stymied

(Bloomberg) -- Major US oil and gas companies haven’t been cooperating with a congressional investigation into whether Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a “quid pro quo” offer to roll back environmental regulations in exchange for campaign donations, Democratic lawmakers said.

Trump sought $1 billion in contributions during an April fund-raising meeting with oil and gas executives at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, prompting congressional investigations into whether he made an offer to change policy for money. 

The companies’ response to probe-related inquiries had been “woefully inadequate,” with some refusing to provide requested information and documents, leaders of the Senate budget and finance panels and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability wrote in letters made public Tuesday. 

The lawmakers sent letters to Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Continental Resources Inc., Chesapeake Energy Corp., Occidental Petroleum Corp., Venture Global LNG Inc., Cheniere Energy Inc., EQT Corp. and the American Petroleum Institute following the launch of the probe in May. The companies either didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment or declined to comment. 

The American Petroleum Institute said in a statement that it refutes the accusations in the letter, dismissing it as an election-year stunt. 

“We appreciated the opportunity to discuss our policy vision for American energy leadership with former President Trump,” Andrea Woods, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based trade group, said in an email. “We have requested a similar conversation with Vice President Harris and are eagerly awaiting her reply.” 

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