A top “Never Trump” Republican strategist who has called for “sanctions on steroids” against the Russian government has registered as a lobbyist for a Russia-owned nuclear energy firm that is seeking to relax sanctions.
John Weaver, a strategist for former Republican presidential candidate John Kasich, registered as a foreign agent of JSC Technabexport on May 10, according to documents filed with the Justice Department.
According to his filings, Weaver will be paid $350,000 to provide strategic advice and to lobby Congress and the Trump administration regarding a variety of issues, including “sanctions or other restrictions in the area of atomic (nuclear) energy.”
It’s a stunning about-face for Weaver, who has been a vocal critic of Trump and a leading proponent of the theory that the Republican is under the influence of Russia.
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Weaver acknowledged in an interview with BuzzFeed that his new role is “counterintuitive and confusing” given his criticism of Trump and Russia. He also said on Twitter that he was “shocked” when he was approached to work for Tenam, an American subsidiary of JSC Technabexport.
He claimed that his efforts to stave off sanctions against JSC Technabexport, which is wholly owned by the Russian government, will be “in line with US national security interests, keeps supplies stable for American energy producers and keeps nuclear proliferation at bay.”
He noted his criticism of Trump and his associates, claiming that he “will continue to call them out as I’ve done constantly and consistently since he arrived on the national scene.”
Weaver served as chief strategist in the 2012 presidential campaign to Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor who now serves as ambassador to Russia.
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