FACT CHECK: Did Trump Receive a $1-Billion Bribe from Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman?

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Arrest

On November 4, 2017, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, a billionaire businessman known as the “Warren Buffett of the Middle East,” was arrested in Saudi Arabia. The arrest was made due to allegations against Bin Talal of money laundering, bribery, and extortion.

The man responsible for the arrest of Bin Talal is Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is a billionaire and part of one of the wealthiest families in the world. Bin Salman wants to reduce the amount of corruption in the country so that everyone has a fair playing field, and this is why the arrests took place. In doing so, Bin Salman is showing residents in Saudi Arabia that if you are linked to corruption, regardless of who you are or how much money you have, you can still get arrested.

Bin Talal is American-educated and known by Wall Street. In addition, he has formed a relationship with President Donald Trump, which dates back to the 1990s. Trump’s name has also been linked to the bribery case. This news poses many questions. Since Trump is considered the most powerful human in the world, how is he linked to the money laundering and bribery actions taken by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal? Did Trump receive a $1.0-billion bribe from Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman? Or are these accusations being made against the President since he is an easy target? Is the arrest of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal part of a bigger plan so all three of these individuals benefit?

In this article, we will go through the details of the accusations being made against Donald Trump, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. But first, here’s a quick bio on Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and why this arrest matters.

Who Is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal?

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal is estimated to have a net worth of $18.0 billion and is considered one of the richest people in the world. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Kingdom Holding Company. A few of its holdings include Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Twitter Inc. (NYSE:TWTR), and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C). (Source: “Kingdom Holding Company – The Home of Investment,” Kingdom Holding Company, last accessed November 7, 2017.)

Bin Talal also owns real estate assets around the world, which is how he formed a relationship with Donald Trump. In the early 1990s, Donald Trump was in financial distress regarding his real estate company and Bin Talal came to the rescue. Bin Talal purchased a yacht and the Plaza Hotel, which helped Trump get back on his feet and get to where he is today.

Even though Bin Talal came to save Trump and his real estate empire, in recent years, things have not been the same. Here is an example through words exchanged on Twitter between the two.

Why Is Donald Trump’s Name Being Linked to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman?

A few days after the arrest of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the Twitter handle @mujtahidd made some big statements involving Trump and corruption, involving Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Following this series of tweets, President Donald Trump responded with his own some hours later.

Donald Trump’s Relationship with Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump took his first trip as President of the United States to Saudi Arabia in May 2017. This is after Trump imposed the Muslim ban (which did not include Saudi Arabia). This move was done to reflect to the world that Trump is not anti-Muslim.

Trump was treated as though he were royalty for the entire visit to Saudi Arabia. King Salman and other officials welcomed Trump and his family with a red carpet tarmac. There were large billboards posted around the hotel that Trump was residing in, including billboards along the highway towards the airport.

In addition, Trump was given the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud medal, which is the highest honor in the country. The treatment Trump received from Saudi Arabia was not the same given to other recent presidents of the United States.

During Trump’s time in Saudi Arabia, a $110.0-billion arms deal between the two countries was signed, which was negotiated by Jared Kushner (stepson and senior advisor to Donald Trump). This would bring American-made ships, airplanes, and bombs into Saudi Arabia made by Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA), Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT), and Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN). (Source: “US-Saudi Arabia seal weapons deal worth nearly $110 billion immediately, $350 billion over 10 years,” CNBC, May 20, 2017.)

One week before the arrest of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Jared Kushner took an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia in a commercial airplane. Kushner was accompanied to Saudi Arabia with Dina Powell, deputy national security advisor, and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt.

This happens to be the third trip that Kushner took since Trump officially became president. This is also a time that Kushner reduced his duties in Asia and increased the number of duties that needed to be completed in the Middle East.

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Past

This is not the first time that Bin Talal’s name has been linked to corruption. According to research completed by the Dutch Anti-Fraud agency, Fiscale inlichtingen- en opsporingsdienst, Bin Talal supposedly received an approximately $450.0-million bribe from Ballast Nedam. (Source: “Foreign affairs ministry accused of sabotaging Saudi fraud investigation,” DutchNews, February 27, 2017.)

Another instance of allegedly using money for his own pleasure was when Bin Talal supported Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen. He tweeted that he would gift 100 Bentley cars to pilots that bombed Yemen. Bin Talal later claimed that his Twitter account was hacked and those were not his own words. However, in 2014, he offered Bentley cars to the players and staff of Nasr Football Club after they won the Saudi Football League. Is it a coincidence that Bin Talal offered the same “reward” for something that he believed in? (Source: “Saudi prince criticised for offering Bentleys to pilots bombing Yemen,” The Telegram, April 23, 2015.)

Is It Possible That Trump, the Saudi Prince, and Members of His Administration Team Were Involved in the Corruption Accusations?

The simple answer is yes and here’s why.

Donald Trump, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman are all billionaires. Therefore, when decisions are made, they are to benefit each other’s bottom line. The tweets exchanged in 2015 between Trump and Bin Talal could have been an act to throw off the public.

This could be the case for a few reasons. One is the fact that Bin Talal is a business partner of one of Trump’s best friends, Tom Barrack. They both have an interest in a Fairmount Hotel and Resort located in Toronto, Canada. Trump has been friends with Barrack for more than three decades. Barrack has spent a part of his life in Saudi Arabia, working for the Saudi princes as a lawyer. Also, Barrack was a big supporter of Trump during the presidential campaign; he was a financial backer and headline speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Barrack is also part of the billionaires club.

Why Arrest Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Now?

The one thing that connects every single sub and main story together is money.

Donald Trump has lobbied for Saudi Aramco to be listed in the U.S. Alwaleed Bin Talal and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman both own a piece of the company. Trump personally called Saudi King Salman to list the company in the U.S. His efforts have paid off and now it is expected to be the largest initial public offering (IPO) in history occurring on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This means more money will flow into investment banks in the U.S. and to investors in the U.S.

Saudi Aramco is the most valued company in the world, with a market value north of $2.0 trillion, more than double the value of Apple. It has the second-largest oil reserve and the second-largest daily oil production.

So why is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s arrest relevant to this news? It seems that the arrest was made very strategically. With more and more news coming out of Saudi Arabia, outsiders look upon the country with uncertainty. This means that investors are going to bid up the price of oil per barrel, which has been the case since the arrest. It is trading at a 10-month high and is seeing levels not seen in two years. This means there is a possibility of seeing a higher price for the IPO, which only means more money for everyone involved: U.S. investors, investors in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Princes, and the big U.S. investment taking on the deal.

Also, Kushner’s trip could have been in regards to the IPO of the company. He has been involved in business dealings of his own in the past and this could have been a strategic move to increase the success rate of the IPO. Or there could be the possibility that Kushner came up with this plan with the arms deal that was agreed to in May of this year and this trip was for putting the plan into action. Another possibility is that Kushner is using Trump’s current power to ink out a private business deal for himself since he does not get paid to work in the Trump administration (he elected to forgo his salary).

It is quite possible that the timing of the arrest was a planned event that needed to occur right before the IPO details were released to the public. All this press coming out of Saudi Arabia has been good news for the price of oil, which could translate into a higher IPO price.

Therefore, it could be the case that the Kushner trips and the respect that Trump shows towards Saudi Arabia are linked to a $1.0-billion bribe from Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Since Trump is the most powerful man in the world, there is a lot that he could do with those resources.