Recordings reveal TC Energy’s alleged attempts to influence governments in North America through sophisticated intelligence gathering, fostering relationships with national security officials and countering opposition to fossil fuel developmentsBy Matt Simmons (Local Journalism Initiative Reporter) and Mike De SouzaThis article is part of a series about revelations from leaked recordings of TC Energy executives. Subscribe to our newsletter, for more on this investigationJuly 2, 2024 14 min. readTC Energy executives based in Washington D.C. worked to influence Canadian policies, including in the country’s spy agency, according to leaked recordings of internal calls.Illustration: Shawn Parkinson / The Narwhal. Donald Trump photo: Chris Szagola / Associated Press. Joe Biden photo: Susan Walsh / Associated Press. David Vigneault photo: Justin Tang / The Canadian PressIn 2017, Michael Evanoff was tapped by former U.S. president Donald Trump to serve as assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security. In his testimony to the Senate foreign state committee, he detailed his previous experience in the foreign service, noting he had completed eight overseas postings, four of which were designated high threat. “Among other things, I established the first [diplomatic security] liaison position with a U.S. military regional command, managed the largest Russian spy case and damage assessment in NATO history and designed a post-9/11 informant ‘walk-in’ program at our Islamabad embassy that contributed to the capture of Khalid Sheik Muhammad,” he said at the time.Evanoff now works for TC Energy, a Calgary-based multinational fossil fuel company with offices in Houston and Mexico City. His official title is director of national security policy, geopolitical intelligence and research. From his home in Washington, D.C., the former Trump appointee uses his extensive geopolitical and military background to protect the company’s interests: crude oil and natural gas pipelines in Canada, the United States and Mexico, which earned TC Energy $11 billion in 2023.A leaked recording of a February TC Energy “lunch and learn” session featuring Evanoff and his colleagues is now pulling back the curtain on internal company discussions, including its apparent strategies about how to influence governments, benefit from geopolitical crises and leverage existing relationships with a range of senior government officials — including the head of Canada’s spy agency.
Source: Former Trump staffers say they shaped TC Energy tactics | The Narwhal
