US President Donald Trump asked Saudi Arabia for $4 billion to fund CIA operations in Syria, according to journalist Bob Woodward’s book “Fear: Trump in White House “.
According to the US investigative journalist, one of Trump’s biggest goals was to acquire foreign funds to finance CIA operations in foreign nations.
The book enlightens its readers about Trump administration’s negotiation with Saudi Arabia regarding funding a CIA operation in Syria.
The author wrote in the book, “General Kelly informed the president that his two top foreign policy advisers, McMaster and Tillerson, were in a ferocious fight over who would negotiate with Saudi Arabia to get $4 billion. The money was in part to fund operations in Syria, including a top-secret CIA project for the Syrian rebels code-named TEAK.”
The conversation between General John Francis Kelly, Trump’s Chief of Staff since July 31, 2017, and the US President took place on Jan 19, 2018, as per the book. During the same, Trump got furious that H.R. McMaster, the ex-National Security Advisor of Trump administration, tried to intervene in the deal with Saudi Arabia and negotiate it himself.
“‘Damn H.R.,’ Trump said. ‘This pointy-head academic has no sense of business or how to negotiate.’”
According to the Chief of Staff also, McMaster was not the guy for the job and he was not very successful with the Saudis till then. Trump agreed that Rex Wayne Tillerson, the ex-Secretary of State was a suitable person to cut deals with the Saudis as he has been doing the same with the royal family of Saudi Arabia for years as the CEO of Exxon.
“Tillerson also knew the Saudis could not be trusted and for Trump, not trusting the people on the other side of the table was a first principle of haggling, of beating them down to get a better bargain. You had to be tough and say no to get to yes,” says the current New York Times best-seller.
Source: Websites
