The infamous sloped roof from which former President Donald Trump’s assassin took aim is owned by a company belonging to one of Trump’s biggest political enemies.
The building that Thomas Matthew Crooks used as his sniper’s nest is reportedly owned by American Glass Research, a subsidiary of AGR International, according to Technical.ly. AGR International was sold in March to a company named Indicor, which is owned by Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice (CD&R).
This long chain of companies that starts with American Glass and ends with CD&R has introduced a large number of characters who have been antagonists to Trump into an already messy, complicated, and shifting saga of the attempted slaying of a former president.
The Rice in Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice is Joseph L. Rice III. Rice is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and he is also a member of the Brookings Institute. Both of these leftwing think tanks are places where prominent media, former intelligence officials, academics, retired military officers, and politicians serve on the boards. Brookings is frequently critical of Trump in its editorials, and the Council is often critical of the 45th president.
One of CD&R’s partners is former Pfizer executive and ex-top Capitol Hill staffer Jon Selib. Like Pfizer, Selib has been a major donor to Trump’s opponents. In all of his private sector roles, Selib has given major donations to President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and other top Democrats.
Fmr ambassador to Beijing and senator Max Baucus likens the reaction to Donald Trump’s China rhetoric today to Nazi Germany: “A little bit like Hitler in the 30s, that a lot of people knew what was going on was wrong but they didn’t stand up and say anything about it.” pic.twitter.com/m8jqt16VJ1
— Hala Gorani (@HalaGorani) May 6, 2020
During his time in Washington, Selib’s former boss, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, was appointed Ambassador to China by former President Barrack Obama. Baucus was an intense Trump critic and even used some of the rhetoric that has become highly scrutinized since Trump was shot. Baucus said the rhetoric used by the Trump administration regarding China was “a little bit like Hitler in the 30s,” during a public appearance in 2020.
In his private sector life, Baucus served on the Board of Advisors to Alibaba Group, an entity partly owned by the Chinese Communist Party.
However, Rice and Selib are not the only top figures with ties to Trump’s largest opponents. Roberto Quarta is the Chairman of CD&R Europe and his photo and bio also appear on the World Economic Forum (WEF) website. The WEF is a bete noire of many nationalists like Trump and as president he spoke before the WEF’s yearly Davos conference, laying out a political vision that was opposed to many of the group of world leader’s beliefs.
Yet, not everyone in this chain of companies comes from a strongly anti-Trump world. Indicor’s CEO, Doug Wright, was previously with Raytheon. The defense contractor is a major donor to the former president. Although Raytheon has at times had a frayed relationship with Trump allies, individuals associated with the company donated roughly $130,000 to Trump’s candidacy and almost $200,000 to the RNC this election cycle, according to Open Secrets.
DX contacted Rice, Selib, Quarta, and Wright for comment regarding the recent incident, but none responded. Multiple emails to Quarta were returned as undeliverable.
