Last Updated on October 5, 2019
John Kerry’s State Department put out a call in November 2016 for a contractor to “build a network of civic activists throughout Ukraine.”
Secretary of State Kerry, whose stepson Chris Heinz was business partners with Ukraine scandal figure Hunter Biden until 2015, made trips to Kiev, Ukraine in March 2014, February 2015, and July 2016.
Kerry’s State Department put out a Notice of Funding Opportunity, which is now ARCHIVED HERE, on November 28, 2016.
“The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that support local civil society in Ukraine. DRL’s goal is to enhance the accountability and responsiveness of the Ukrainian government at the local level through civil society advocacy, monitoring, and civic activism. DRL seeks proposals that will empower local civil society organizations to perform a watchdog function and advocate for democratic governance through activism and networking; and raise awareness among and build the capacity of citizens to use existing local mechanisms and institutions for holding government more accountable,” the State Department notice stated.
“The program should increase local-level civic activism and build a network of civic activists throughout Ukraine. The program should focus specifically on government oversight and financial transparency at the local level and include small grants for local watchdog advocacy efforts in the regions. Program activities may include advocacy training for local civil society activists to increase their knowledge and skills related to existing advocacy tools and mechanisms; training for local activists on key areas of local government oversight; mentoring for civil society groups undertaking local advocacy campaigns; building a network of civil society activists; providing learning opportunities between national advocacy campaigns and local activists; and encouraging partnerships between civil society and local media to communicate important information about local reforms to the public,” the State Department notice stated.
“Projects should have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms, and should have potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources,” the notice stated.
“DRL anticipates having approximately $800,000 available to support approximately one successful application submitted in response to this NOFO, subject to the availability of funding. Applicants can submit one application in response to the solicitation. Applications should not request less than $400,000 and no more than $800,000. Applicants should include an anticipated start date between March 2017 – June 2017 and the period of performance should be between 18-36 months,” the State Department notice stated.
Journalist Patrick Howley broke the story Saturday.
LOOK WHAT I FOUND: John Kerry's State Department, days after President Trump won the election, put out a call for a contractor to "build a network of civic activists throughout Ukraine."
This has mostly been scrubbed. Good thing it's Archived https://t.co/9PRrLn4lf4 pic.twitter.com/68LPC9KSlQ
— Patrick Howley (@HowleyReporter) October 6, 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s son Paul Pelosi Jr. visited Ukraine in 2017 to meet with government officials in connection to a business initiative. Now, unearthed records reveal that Paul Pelosi Jr. was an executive of a gas industry company that did business in Ukraine – and his mother Nancy Pelosi was featured in one of the company’s promotional videos.
Journalist Patrick Howley broke the story Thursday:
BOOM: Nancy Pelosi's son Paul Pelosi Jr. (who went to Ukraine in 2017) was a board member of Viscoil and executive at its related company NRGLab, which DID ENERGY Business in UKRAINE!
And Nancy Pelosi appeared in a promotional video for the company!https://t.co/wlndLhPqLe
— Patrick Howley (@HowleyReporter) October 3, 2019
Paul Pelosi Jr. travelled to Kiev, Ukraine in July 2017 in his capacity as executive director of the Corporate Governance Initiative, a position that he accepted months earlier in February 2017. Pelosi Jr. said that he was in Ukraine to discuss a youth soccer partnership with the government.
The American Mirror, which flagged Pelosi Jr.’s appearance in 2017, preserved a clip of Pelosi Jr. on the Ukrainian station following the video’s removal from YouTube.
https://twitter.com/American_Mirror/status/1177576868733698048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1177576868733698048&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnationalfile-d200be.ingress-erytho.ewp.live%2Fbreaking-nancy-pelosis-son-was-exec-at-gas-company-that-did-business-in-ukraine%2F
As Patrick Howley found, Paul Pelosi Jr. previously held top positions with the energy-sector companies Viscoil Group and NRGLab.
On March 5, 2013, NRGLab New Technology posted two videos on Youtube. One video opened with a clip of Nancy Pelosi discussing energy-efficient technology, followed by a direct-to-camera statement from her son Paul Pelosi Jr., filmed in Washington, D.C. in 2010.
“My name’s Paul Pelosi. Of course I’m on the board of Viscoil. And Viscoil is here today to talk about accelerating the future. It’s about using cars in a more efficient manner. It’s about utilizing natural resources, whether it be electricity, or gas, or fossil fuels in a more efficient way. And Viscoil is a part of that solution,” Paul Pelosi Jr. said in the video.
“That’s what Viscoil does. It utilizes technology to maximize the use of natural resources, like oil and other resources,” Pelosi Jr. said.
“Paul Pelosi Jr. is a member of management team of Viscoil Group of Companies and NRGLab. Paul Pelosi Jr. is interested in developing clean energy that can replace gasoline and diesel as transportation fuel sources,” read the description on the video.
Another video posted that same day confirmed that NRGLab was working in Ukraine.
“Walter Afanasieff, Brandon Stone, Mika Newton and other artists are actively involved in promoting the clean technology of Viscoil Group of Companies and NRGLab. For example, Mika Newton helped to secure the rights to build a plant for the production of SH-boxes in Ukraine,” read the description of an NRGLab & Research Council video.
Mika Newton is a Ukrainian-born singer.
A 2013 interview with NRGLab’s lead technician Zeev Drori reported that NRGLab was funded by environmental businesswoman Ana Shell, who writes about Ukraine energy issues on her blog. In the interview, Drori discussed gas generation techniques in Ukraine.
“Currently, Ana Shell Fund also provide finances and support to groom talented artistes like Mika Newton, a Ukrainian singer who represented Ukraine in the Eurovision song contest in 2011,” reported a 2013 interview with Ana Shell, referring to the singer who brokered the S-H box deal in Ukraine.
“In brief, SH-boxes are environmentally friendly generators which employs the use of poly-crystal technology to producing electricity from environmental heat. With the SH-boxes, electricity could be generated more efficiently and cleanly at a lower cost,” the interview with Ana Shell notes.
Here is Mika Newton performing as Ukraine’s representative on a Eurovision talent contest:
NRGLab’s website states that the company is based in Singapore and notes, “The company’s additional projects include a strategic partnership and investment from Viscoil Holdings to recycle waste materials into eco-friendly diesel fuel. NRGLab has obtained an exclusive license for the Viscoil Technology for the South East Asian region for all raw materials.”
Viscoil Holdings is currently suspended by the California Secretary of State. It was registered in 2009 to a manager named David Strawn in Escondido, California. As of 2010, it listed two managers: Strawn and an individual named Sergey Sorokin based in Moscow, Russia.
Paul Pelosi Jr. co-founded the company Natural Blue Resources, which the SEC charged with securities fraud in 2014.
Nancy Pelosi led a congressional delegation to Ukraine in 2015 to discuss issues including “energy security.”
