"The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a criminal bribery complaint urging the Justice Department to investigate former President Trump’s solicitation of campaign donations from fossil fuel executives.

The former president met with oil industry executives in April and asked for $1 billion in campaign contributions, The Hill reported last month.

The Washington Post, which first reported the request, also reported that the former president described the donations as a “deal” and said that in a second term, Trump would unwind Biden administration regulations on industry. A person with knowledge of the meeting who confirmed the request to The Hill denied it involved a quid pro quo agreement.

The chairs of the Senate Budget and Finance committees have also announced a joint investigation into the meeting, with Budget Chair Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) calling it the “definition of corruption.”"

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill June 24, 2024. [2]