LANSING — Does anyone have some Dramamine? Mike Rogers’ spin through the revolving door is making us dizzy. Rogers is catching more flak for getting rich off of his work with adversaries “in opposition to U.S. national security interests.” Rogers enriched himself with his ties to “several Saudi companies” “including one with questionable nuclear ambitions” and working at AT&T when the company “was trying to broker a deal to sell Huawei products in the United States.”
Given Rogers’ track record, it’s no surprise that Pensler and Amash have “accused Rogers of flipping [stances]… when it served his electoral pursuits.” His opponents bash Rogers who “doesn’t have enthusiasm” and has a “poor” record, making this primary the “easiest” choice “any Republican voter in Michigan will make.”
Here’s the latest on the “messy Republican primary contest” as the candidates face “regular fire from rivals:”
- New reporting found that Rogers enriched himself with his ties to “several Saudi companies” “which he has personally gained from, including one with questionable nuclear ambitions” that one industry executive described as the “Theranos of the nuclear industry.”
- Round and round through the revolving door. Rogers said that Huawei and ZTE “had engaged in intellectual theft and were a threat to national security,” but then worked for AT&T when it “was trying to broker a deal to sell Huawei products in the United States.”
- But wait… there’s more! The reporting on Rogers is just the latest in a series of reports about how he has exploded his wealth at Michiganders’ expense by working with “questionable” American adversaries “in opposition to U.S. national security interests.”
- It’s not over til it’s over. The “messy Republican primary contest” “isn’t over yet” as “Republican rivals attack Rogers” from all sides. “Rogers is taking regular fire from rivals” with “both Pensler and Amash accus[ing] Rogers of flipping [stances]… when it served his electoral pursuits.”
- Wednesday’s Senate vote on the bill to codify Roe v. Wade is a stark reminder that all of the GOP Senate candidates support dangerous abortion bans.
- Find my friends: Mike Rogers, Cape Coral, Florida, 1,300+ miles away. The Washington Post notes that Rogers “is being accused of being a carpetbagger” after he “retired to Florida after leaving the House in 2015.”
- Brutal. Amash didn’t hold back how he really felt about “comically one-dimensional government official” Rogers.
- Amash bashed Rogers who “repeatedly weaponized government,” describing the primary as the “easiest” choice “any Republican voter in Michigan will make” since Rogers “doesn’t have enthusiasm” from voters.
- Pensler slammed Rogers for running on a “poor” record.
See for yourself:
Heartland Signal: Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers connected to Saudi companies, including one with nuclear ambitions
- Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has been linked to several Saudi companies following his departure from Congress in 2015 in which he has personally gained from, including one with questionable nuclear ambitions.
- Among these connections is his involvement with the telecommunications company Telefonica and the nuclear technology company IP3 International, both of which have significant ties to Saudi Arabia.
- For the past seven years, Rogers has been a member of Telefonica’s Technical and Security Advisory Committee, a company in which Saudi Telecom acquired a 10% stake for $2.25 billion, becoming its largest shareholder.
- In 2019, IP3 sought approval from the Trump administration to transfer nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia without adhering to a “gold standard” agreement, which typically includes safeguards against uranium enrichment. Industry executives expressed concerns about IP3’s reputation and its approach to nuclear fuel cycle enrichment, viewing them as potential red flags.
- According to sources familiar with IP3’s operations, an internal email revealed it was alleged that former national security officials, including Rogers, were promised $1 million for each nuclear reactor sold to Saudi Arabia.
- “One senior political official stated that the proposal was ‘not a business plan,’ but rather ‘a scheme for these generals to make some money.’ That official stated: ‘Okay, you know we cannot do this,’” a House Oversight Committee report noted in February 2019.
- Rogers has also benefited financially from his ties to China. He worked as a risk analyst for Nokia, earning substantial income while the company expanded business with Chinese tech giant Huawei, despite U.S. sanctions on Huawei due to national security concerns. He remained with Nokia through these deals, contradicting his earlier warnings about Huawei.
American Journal News: Michigan Republican Mike Rogers has repeatedly dodged questions about his work at AT&T
- Former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, now a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, has received substantial financial support from the telecommunications giant AT&T. The company has raised national security concerns over its business dealings in China.
- Rogers has made getting tough on China a centerpiece of both his congressional career and his current campaign.
- Rogers served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015. In that time, his campaign apparatus and super PAC took in a combined $52,000 in donations from AT&T.
- In Congress, Rogers served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. In 2012, he led an investigation into the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE, both of which manufacture cell phones and the equipment needed to operate wireless networks. Rogers’ investigation concluded that both companies had engaged in intellectual theft and were a threat to national security.
- In 2016, a year after Rogers retired from congress, he was hired by AT&T to be their Chief Security Adviser. The Detroit News reported that when Rogers joined AT&T, the company was trying to broker a deal to sell Huawei products in the United States. The U.S. House of Representatives, citing Rogers’ investigation, urged AT&T to abandon the deal.
- AT&T also sold ZTE products at this time.
- During this period, AT&T hired the firm Navigators Global to lobby congress on their behalf. The firm employed two of Rogers’ former chiefs of staff.
- Some of Rogers associates have also worked at AT&T.
- Sarah Geffroy, who served as Republican legal counsel for the House Intelligence Committee under Rogers, worked for AT&T during the same time period. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was Director of Global Public Policy from 2016 to 2018. She has since worked as AT&T’s Senior Legal Counsel.
- John Steinman, who was an advisor on Rogers’ current campaign, also did work for AT&T as a public affairs consultant.
- Rogers 2013 financial disclosures estimated his wealth at $380,000. His 2023 disclosures estimate it at $11.3 million.
Michigan Democratic Party: Mike Rogers Sold Out “In Opposition to U.S. National Security Interests” to Enrich Himself
Detroit News: Republican rivals attack Rogers…
- With five weeks to go, the messy Republican primary contest for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat is down to four contenders…
- “I absolutely think this has the potential to become a very competitive Senate race in the general election, but you have to get through the primary first.”
- … Rogers is taking regular fire from rivals seeking the GOP nomination in the Aug. 6 primary: Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Cascade Township, businessman Sandy Pensler of Grosse Pointe Park and physician Sherry O’Donnell of Stevensville.
- [Amash is] running social media ads blasting Rogers’ past defense of government surveillance programs, betting that distrust in the deep state will resonate with primary voters.
- [Pensler] has hammered Rogers on his prior work for companies that partnered with Chinese firms…
- …The primary isn’t over yet, said Nathan Gonzales, editor of the Inside Elections newsletter.
- Both Pensler and Amash have accused Rogers of flipping… when it served his electoral pursuits.
- “This race has a lot of the same signs to it. A lot of the same feel. … I think there’s no comparison there in terms of who has the grassroots enthusiasm right now,” [said Amash.]
- He has framed the campaign as one about the “surveillance state”… His ad running on social media cuts together clips of Rogers while in Congress, including his touting the Patriot Act for “taking the handcuffs off” the intelligence services and making light of how it “could be” abused.
- “[Pensler] has spent at least $2.6 million to broadcast attack ads against Rogers and intends to largely stay on the air up to the primary. “You have to get the message out,” he said.
- “It’s working. We’ve seen massive tightening,” Pensler said of internal polling.
Michigan Democratic Party: As Senate Votes On Bill to Codify Roe v. Wade, GOP Senate Candidates Support Dangerous Abortion Bans
Washington Post: “…Republican Mike Rogers is being accused of being a carpetbagger in his Senate race in the state. Rogers… retired to Florida after leaving the House in 2015.”
Your Welcome Show: Amash: “And my main primary opponent, Mike Rogers, he doesn’t have enthusiasm. It’s completely derivative.”
All Talk: Pensler: “[Rogers] is running on his record, which I think is a poor one.”
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