(ATTENTION MEDIA) Why does Trump say TikTok has to be American-owned, but he's extorting Ukraine into selling a Ukrainian engine-manufacturing company—one he admits has tech implicating U.S. national security—to a Chinese-owned company run by Erik Prince? wsj.com/articles/secur…
PS/ Ukraine alleges Trump is holding up military supplies Ukraine already paid for to extort it into selling Motor Sich to Prince's company. But this is happening as Trump is publicly saying China can't own any company that implicates U.S. national security. Maybe look into that?
PS2/ When Buzzfeed News asked Erik Prince about his possible bid to purchase Motor Sich with Trump's emphatic blessing—despite his company being backed by China—he denied any such bid and "abruptly ended the call." I'm telling you: there's heat/light here. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
PS3/ Motor Sich's technology is *specifically* technology the U.S. government says it doesn't want Russia or China to have. But Prince's Chinese-backed company was fine, to Trump. Now he says he's blocking TikTok to protect U.S. national security from China. No—it doesn't add up.
PS4/ Some say this is an assist to Facebook—i.e. TikTok competitor Instagram Reels—as it's on Facebook that Trump disinformation is flourishing, and apparently he spoke to Zuckerberg before coming out against TikTok *hard*. Others say he's angry about Tulsa. Or even Sarah Cooper.
PS5/ It's complex, because there *are* real security issues here.
But then again, there *are* real security issues surrounding the Motor Sich deal.
But with Motor Sich, Trump wants a *donor* of his to make lots of money—which ends up...where?—but with TikTok, all deals are off.
But then again, there *are* real security issues surrounding the Motor Sich deal.
But with Motor Sich, Trump wants a *donor* of his to make lots of money—which ends up...where?—but with TikTok, all deals are off.
PS6/ Here's what Bolton's book would tell us: both the Motor Sich deal *and* the TikTok deal can *only* be about one or both of two things for Trump—reelection politics and personal enrichment. Motor Sich is about personal enrichment. So what's the real deal with the TikTok sale?
