The Justice Department lifted a gag order on a former FBI informant and allowed him to testify before Congress about the uranium deals made between U.S. and Russia while Barack Obama was president. The informant will testify about what he witnessed undercover about the Russian nuclear industry’s efforts to win favorable decisions and enter the U.S. market.
Sarah Isgur Flores, Justice Department spokeswoman, confirmed a deal had been reached clearing the the informant to talk to Congress for the first time, about eight years after he first went undercover for the FBI, The Hill reports.
“As of tonight, the Department of Justice has authorized the informant to disclose to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as one member of each of their staffs, any information or documents he has concerning alleged corruption or bribery involving transactions in the uranium market, including but not limited to anything related to Vadim Mikerin, Rosatom, Tenex, Uranium One, or the Clinton Foundation,” she said.
The name of the informant hasn’t been revealed but many congressional committees wanted to interview him because he was providing information on Russia’s efforts to grow its atomic energy business in America for five years. His work helped the Justice Department secure convictions against Russian financier in New Jersey and the head of a U.S. uranium trucking company involved in racketeering scheme.
The informant couldn’t answer lawmakers’ inquires because of the nondisclosure agreement he had signed with the bureau. According to The Hill, the informant was also forced by the Justice Department last year to withdraw a lawsuit that threatened to call attention to the case during the presidential election.
“The FBI has informed me that they are releasing my client from his [nondisclosure agreement] so that he can testify to Congress about his work uncovering the Russian nuclear bribery case and the efforts he witnessed by Moscow to gain influence with the Clintons in hopes of winning favorable uranium decisions from the Obama administration,” the informant’s lawyer, Victoria Toensing said.
She added that he was willing to talk with the congressional committees seeking his testimony and that she would be working with all parties to ensure his identity remains confidential to ensure his safety.
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