Saudi Bob admits he does business in the Desert Kingdom. Daily Ructions report first revealing the connection was not inaccurate, as Republican claimed.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski admitted Tuesday he is performing work in Saudi Arabia. The original Daily Ructions post revealing the former payday lender executive’s lucrative business connections to Saudi Arabia was published on Monday, September 26th. Meeting with the press the next day after an early afternoon debate on NBC Connecticut, Stefanowski called the Daily Ructions scoop “not accurate.” Stefanowski dismissed the scoop as “a late night blog.” When asked what had been inaccurate about the story, the candidate refused to say.
When asked on September 26th if he had requested a release from the non-disclosure agreement Stefanowski claimed to have with his clients, he responded, “Why would I do that?” A short recitation of the reasons voters might want to know if he was working in the Desert Kingdom brought a scornful non sequitur about North Korea, China and a trip to the moon.
The Hearst papers report two weeks after the original story that Stefanowski has been doing and continues to conduct business with the regime. Confronted with documents confirming his connection, the self-financing candidate buckled. If there was a non-disclosure agreement it was quickly terminated to allow the cornered candidate to speak publicly about his eye-popping deal.
Robert of Arabia now acknowledges that the income paid to his LOLO limited liability company is from Saudi Arabia. Stefanowski is a consultant on the Saudi sovereign fund-financed construction of NEOM, a “smart city” that has been notable for its delays and brutal development practices.
Middle East Eye reported on October 7th, “A Saudi court sentenced three members of the Howeitat, a tribe forcibly ejected to make way for the $500 bn Neom megacity, to death earlier this month for resisting displacement, a UK-based rights group has reported.” Nice friends Saudi Bob is making for the $36.8 million he reported was paid to Lolo between 2019 and 2021.
Stefanowski continues to fade in polls measuring his support in his rematch with incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont. The Republican has badly soiled himself with his clumsy attempt to conceal from Connecticut voters the source of his newfound fortune. Stefanowski may realize he probably mistook for friends people he told about his remarkable desert deal. His claims about the requirements of his non-disclosure agreement may have exceeded his own adherence to its provisions. Whatever its terms, the agreement’s primary purpose was to provide a thick veil of secrecy over facts that Stefanowski knew would cause a segment of Connecticut voters to recoil.
Published October 12, 2022.