Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28
Trump, Lutnick Sons Profit From $1.6 Billion Kazakhstan Tungsten Deal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28

Trump, Lutnick Sons Profit From $1.6 Billion Kazakhstan Tungsten Deal

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 28

Summary

  • $1.6 billion in preliminary U.S. financing was approved for Kaz Resources before the company moved toward a Kazakhstan tungsten project backed by Trump.
  • Within weeks of the September talks, Dominari Securities — partly owned by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — joined partners to take a 20% stake in the project.
  • Cantor Fitzgerald, controlled by Howard Lutnick’s family and overseen by his sons Brandon and Kyle, also helped a lead investor raise $210 million for a related entity, a move that typically generates millions in fees.
  • The deal gave a little-known American company access to one of the world’s largest untapped tungsten reserves, a metal Washington views as critical for missile warheads, fighter jets and computer chips.

Insights

How are public funds for the Kazakh deal protected from benefiting the politically connected families involved?
Can this Kazakh tungsten mine truly break America's critical mineral dependency on China before the 2027 defense deadline?