Under a cloak of secrecy Gov. Sam Brownback spent eight days in Israel last August.
During his time there he met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to purportedly discuss Israeli business opportunities in Kansas.
The governor’s office gave no notice of his departure, before, during or after the trip.
While away, the governor’s office issued orders and made announcements making it appear he were there, including the appointment of Judge Fred W. Johnson for the 11th District Court representing Cherokee, Crawford and Labette counties.
According to the crackerjack reporting by Mary Clarkin of The Hutchinson News, a corporation quickly sprang up to facilitate the trip for the state’s Department of Commerce.That no one from the DOC attended the meeting with Netanyahu makes it all the more difficult to verify its purpose was indeed for trade relations.
If it were, why the secrecy? If it wasn’t, what’s up?
ONE THEORY leaps to mind.
That the trip occurred on the heels of Gov. Brownback’s nomination to head the Office of International Religious Freedom raises a red flag because as a longtime supporter of Israel, Brownback could be doing State Department business ahead of schedule.
As a U.S. Senator in 2004, Brownback, in a show of support to Israel, proposed the United States move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. No country has its embassy based in Jerusalem out of respect that both Israel and Palestine regard the city as central to their heritage.
Once sworn in as president, Donald Trump picked up that flag again, albeit briefly.
Netanyahu is also banking that Brownback’s appointment to the post will further enable Israel’s expansion of settlements into the West Bank, despite their being the key stumbling block to peace between Israel and Palestine.
That the prime minister really wanted to talk trade is specious. Sovereignty, yes. Soybeans, no.
JUST ONE month before the trip to Israel, Margie Robinow of Overland Park filed papers with the Kansas secretary of state’s office to incorporate a business called Robinow Group Consulting LLC to oversee its logistics and arrange contacts. Others on board included Robinow, security personnel, a handful of Brownback’s staff, members of the Department of Commerce, in addition to Mary Brownback and daughter Jenna. All told, the trip is to cost Kansas taxpayers in the neighborhood of $32,000, though no reports have been filed.
