Bloomberg Discovers Saudi 'Clout' Just as Trump Needs Cash
Bloomberg points out Riyadh’s annual finance summit draws 'titans of global commerce,' subtly hinting at what they term 'Saudi clout.' What they won't dwell on is how this 'clout' has been systematically purchased and deployed for decades across the DC establishment. While Bloomberg's narrative focuses on Trump, the historical record shows that Saudi Arabia invested heavily in US lobbying for
decades, often with bipartisan support. For instance, the Saudi Public Investment Fund's (PIF) $3.5 billion investment in SoftBank’s Vision Fund in 2016 (Reuters) was one of many moves to secure influence long before Trump's legal woes. This isn’t a 'Trump bond'; it’s an institutionalized cash flow that lubricates every corner of Washington, ensuring, for example, that the devastating war in Yemen
remains largely unscrutinized in mainstream discourse. It makes one wonder: how much political influence does a few billion dollars actually buy?