Trump Jr.
in traditional Mongolian garb
(w/member
of the Mongolian president’s party)
Introduction
to this story from ProPublica:
Mongolia is
located in the Western rocky highlands of Central Asia landlocked and sandwiched
between Russia and China. It is also the home of the Argali, the world’s largest
sheep – which is also an endangered species and beloved for its giant curving
horns, which can run over 6 feet in length and considered a Mongolian national treasure.
Argali Mongolian National Treasure
On a hunting
trip in August, Donald Trump Jr. shot and killed one.
His
adventure was supported by government resources from both the U.S. and Mongolia
(yet unexplained what “resources” he used), but each country did send security
services to accompany Jr. and his son on the multi-day trip.
It now has thrust
Trump Jr. directly into the controversial world of Mongolian trophy hunting,
which is a polarizing practice in a country that views the big-horned rams as a
national treasure.
The right to kill an Argali is controlled by an opaque
permitting system that experts say is mostly based on money, connections, and
politics.
Trump Jr. received special treatment during his summer
trip, according to records obtained by ProPublica as well as interviews with
people involved in the hunt. Listen to that episode.
The
Mongolian government granted Trump Jr. a coveted and rare permit to slay the
animal retroactively on September 2, after he’d left the region following his
trip. It’s unusual for permits to be issued after a hunter’s stay. It was one
of only three permits to be issued in that hunting region, local records
show.
Afterward,
Trump Jr. met privately with the country’s president, Khaltmaagiin Battulga,
before departing the capital of Ulaanbaatar back to the U.S., according to
Khuantai Khafezyn, a local government official in the region where Trump Jr.
hunted the Argali and a former government official with knowledge of the
meeting.
It isn’t
clear what was discussed. Trump Jr. wouldn’t answer questions about the
meeting. Representatives for Battulga haven’t responded to requests for
comment.
“What are the chances the Mongolian government
would’ve done any of that to someone who wasn’t the son of the United States’
president?” asked Kathleen Clark, a professor specializing in legal ethics at
Washington University in St. Louis School of Law.
She said that though Trump
Jr. is not a government employee, he’s nonetheless politically influential,
incentivizing foreign officials such as the Mongolian leader to treat him
favorably out of a “desire on the part of a foreign government to curry favor
with the president’s family.”
My insert: Yet, Trump, et al keep bashing Hunter Biden
son of former VP Joe Biden for his board membership of a Ukrainian energy
company, but, Jr. is the son of the current sitting president. Oops…!!!
Mongolia is
a resource-rich, young democracy that considers the U.S. an important ally as
it faces pressure from its powerful neighbors, particularly the Chinese.
Legislation
introduced this year in Congress would give duty-free treatment to Mongolian
cashmere and other products in an effort to increase trade between the two
countries — and lessen its reliance on China.
The hunt also
came just weeks after high-level government discussions — including a White
House meeting — between officials from the U.S. and Mongolia. Mongolia refers
to the U.S. as its “third neighbor,” relying on America for economic and
security support.
Also, during
that meeting, the Mongolian president gave a horse to President Donald Trump’s
youngest son, Barron. Trump named it “Victory.” (The horse, a traditional ceremonial
gift, resides in Mongolia).
My 2 cents: Not
much to add to this story except to say it shows clearly the GOP and Trump
hypocrisy.
Thanks for stopping by.
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