Obama-era players lost their minds

Uranium One is a mining company that controlled one fifth of the U.S. uranium extraction capacity.

Russian interests gained a controlling interest in Uranium One. How could this happen? To do this they had to acquire the approval of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as well as the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS).

CFIUS is a committee of the U.S. government that reviews the national security implications of foreign investments in the U.S.

The nine voting members of CFIUS are the heads of the Departments of Treasury, State, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, Defense, and Energy as well as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Office of Science & Technology Policy.

The following offices also observe and, as appropriate, participate in CFIUS’s activities: Office of Management & Budget, Council of Economic Advisors, National Security Council, National Economic Council and Homeland Security Council. Finally, two ex-officio (non-voting) members are the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Labor.

This makes 16 participants in the discussions pertaining to CFIUS. Sitting presidents both Republican and Democrat have blocked or vetoed CFIUS decisions.

Here’s a layman’s version of what happened:

At a meeting of CFIUS, the chairman (secretary of the treasury) announces that we are going to determine whether or not to give the Russian government control of one fifth of the uranium in the United States. After some debate, all voting members decided unanimously in favor of allowing the request.

Once again, voting members included Treasury, Justice Homeland Security, Defense and State. None of these folks opined that this might not be a good idea. President Obama chose not to veto the decision.

I believe that if one went out in almost any city in New Mexico and asked 16 people if it’s a good idea to give the Russians control of 20 percent of U.S. uranium, at least one of those people would say, “Have you lost your mind?”

All of this may become clearer when you consider that an anonymous source familiar with the FBI’s collected evidence told political newspaper, “The Hill” that, “the Russians had set their sights on Hillary Clinton’s circle, because she was the quarterback of the Obama-Russian reset strategy and the assumed successor to Obama as president.”

The argument that Hillary should not be held accountable for the CFIUS decision because the committee voted unanimously to accept the deal, may have some credibility. All 16 participants involved were members of the Obama administration. You can delegate authority. You cannot delegate responsibility.

Rube Render is the Curry County Republican chairman. Contact him at:

[email protected]