Critics Question Trump Ties To Water Project

Critics say a water project in the Mojave Desert may have questionable connections to the Trump family.

The controversy centers around Apollo Global Management, a company whose ties to the White House has raised eyebrows.

“Joshua Harris, a founder of Apollo Global Management, was advising Trump administration officials on infrastructure policy. During that period, he met on multiple occasions with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said three people familiar with the meetings. Among other things, the two men discussed a possible White House job for Mr. Harris,” The New York Times reported.

One reason these connections are under scrutiny: Apollo is an investor in Cadiz, a water project in the Mojave Desert that has received positive regulatory attention from the Trump administration.

“Apollo is a sizable investor in Cadiz, which has received favorable regulatory treatment from the Trump administration after years of thumbs-down rulings under the Obama administration and from local and state officials. Apollo and Cadiz announced the $60-million investment, along with a conditional $240 million in construction financing, on May 2,” The Los Angeles Times reported.

The Trump administration took action in April that could pave the way for the project. Cadiz Inc. wants to use water from beneath the Mojave Desert and sell it to southern California water districts, according to The Sacramento Bee.

Under the Obama administration, “the U.S. Bureau of Land Management previously ruled that Cadiz Inc. couldn't use an existing federal railroad right of way to build a 43-mile pipeline to carry water from its private Mojave wells to the Colorado River Aqueduct,” NBC News Bay Area reported.

The actions by the Trump administration “effectively relieved the Cadiz water project of the requirement to undergo a federal environmental review, which the company had sought to avoid,” The Bee reported.