Thread by @WendySiegelman

The Democratic Republic of Congo as suffered under authoritarian rule of Joseph Kabila, but a $9.5 million lobbying campaign by Mer Security and Communication Systems helped Kabila gain support of Trump admin, including Guiliani & Pompeo by @AlbertSamaha
buzzfeednews.com/article/albert…

"When the history of the Trump administration is written, much will be made of the president undermining democracy at home. But as the Congo episode shows, he also did so abroad."

buzzfeednews.com/article/albert…

Israeli mining baron Dan Gertler befriended Kabila and paid $20mil a year to earn a fortune from opaque corrupt deals

"During a single three-year span, Gertler reportedly made $1.36 billion in revenue that should have gone to Congo’s taxpayers"

buzzfeednews.com/article/albert…

In 2012 Mer, an Israeli company staffed by ex military intelligence agents, signed a $17.5 million contract to provide Kabila and Congo’s intelligence agency with surveillance to monitor protestors and opposition activists, in 2013 another $8.5mil was paid
buzzfeednews.com/article/albert…

During the Trump admin the overlap between consultants who assist foreign governments on political matters and those who provide them with security services has increased - such as the security and lobbying services of Michael Flynn or Elliott Broidy
buzzfeednews.com/article/albert…

And of course Erik Prince has been pursuing deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo

https://twitter.com/oldgrunt0351/status/1344306693539127296?s=20

Erik Prince company FSG registered a subsidiary in DR Congo late 2018 called Frontier Services Group Congo

https://twitter.com/WendySiegelman/status/1139318710676705289?s=20

A new gold refinery in DRC links a senior employee of Erik Prince’s security firm to a close associate of ex-President Joseph Kabila and a reported gold smuggler

https://twitter.com/WendySiegelman/status/1253538656184422403?s=20

This incredible reporting by @AlbertSamaha shows the lengths corrupt politicians and businessmen in the Democratic Republic of Congo have gone to protect their power and wealth - at the expense of the majority of citizens and with Trump admin support

https://twitter.com/WendySiegelman/status/1344301645941907457?s=20

The exploitation in the DRC of natural resources and wealth stolen from impoverished citizens, and through the forced child labor of tens of thousands of children, is tragic.

https://twitter.com/WendySiegelman/status/1128790604035629057?s=20

This 2018 article covered various lobbying deals including the Mer contract for Kabila & noted Alan Dershowitz was advising Dan Gertler, who was sanctioned by the US for his deals with the Congolese president

Dershowitz called Gertler “a very good person”
nytimes.com/2018/12/10/us/…