Two prominent figures from Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election are seeking a major European pipeline contract, blending business with geopolitics. Jesse Binnall, a lawyer who advanced Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud, and Joe Flynn, who also sought to undermine Joe Biden’s victory, have been in Bosnia this week to discuss the Southern Gas Interconnection pipeline.
The $200m (£149m) project aims to reduce the Balkans’ reliance on Russian gas by connecting Bosnia to a liquefied natural gas terminal on Croatia’s Adriatic coast. Bosnia currently imports almost all its gas from Russia, unlike much of Europe which has diversified since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Binnall told the Guardian that the company he and Flynn represent, AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, has not yet been awarded the contract. He described meetings with Bosnian ministers as “exploratory”. AAFS, formed two months ago in Wyoming, has no apparent track record in the energy industry, though its website claims “decades of combined experience”.
The US embassy in Sarajevo has supported the company, posting on X about meetings with Bosnian leaders. Asked about potential conflicts of interest due to their Trump links, Binnall said the embassy’s support was “consistent with its mission to support American businesses”.
Joe Flynn’s brother, Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, has recently lobbied for Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian leader of Bosnia’s Serb Republic. Trump lifted US sanctions on Dodik in October. Meanwhile, Trump’s sons Donald Jr and Eric, along with Jared Kushner, have pursued a $500m Trump Tower project in Belgrade, which faced protests and a corruption investigation.
