Trump Gives Appointment to Atiku’s Lobbyist Amid Push for Tinubu’s Records

US President Donald Trump has appointed Dr. Karl Von Batten, the managing partner of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., to serve as a commissioner on a presidential commission, coming amid the lobbying firm’s renewed campaign for the release of US records linked to Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The firm announced the appointment in a post on X.

“Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. is proud to announce that President Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) has appointed our Managing Partner, Dr. Karl Von Batten, to serve the United States of America as a Commissioner on a @WhiteHouse presidential commission,” the firm said.

According to the organisation, Von Batten expressed gratitude to Trump for the appointment and the confidence placed in him.

“Dr. Von Batten is deeply grateful to President Trump (The Chief) for this appointment and for the confidence placed in him,” the statement added.

The firm said the appointment represented “a tremendous honor” and reflected Von Batten’s longstanding commitment to public service, leadership and the United States.

“Dr. Von Batten looks forward to answering the call to serve our President and country,” it said, while congratulating its managing partner and wishing him success in the new role.

The development comes shortly after Von Batten-Montague-York alleged that it had been offered $3 million to abandon its campaign for the release of historical US records concerning allegations involving Tinubu.

The lobbying and policy advisory firm made the allegation in a statement posted on its verified X account, claiming that the offer was made to Von Batten by an unnamed individual whom it described as highly placed and allegedly connected to Tinubu.

The firm further alleged that the individual invited Von Batten to a confidential meeting in London as part of the reported effort to persuade him to end the campaign.

“A few days ago, Dr Von Batten received unsolicited offers of $3 million, along with an invitation to a confidential meeting in London, from a highly placed individual whom we have been informed is connected to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu,” the firm said.

“We believe these offers were an attempt to persuade Dr Von Batten to end our campaign concerning President Tinubu’s alleged heroin-trafficking records.”

The organisation said Von Batten rejected the alleged offer and retained copies of the communications exchanged with the individual.

It also claimed that he contacted members of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s campaign under the African Democratic Congress to establish the identity and relationship of the person who allegedly approached him.

Atiku Abubakar // Bola Tinubu

“We have a simple message for President Tinubu, Nigeria’s ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, and their associates. Thank you for the offer, but no thanks,” the firm said.

Von Batten-Montague-York also alleged that a smear campaign against its managing partner began after the reported offer was rejected. It said it intended to submit the alleged $3 million proposal and related communications to the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review.

The firm has attracted attention in recent months because of its involvement in efforts to obtain historical US government records relating to Tinubu. Its campaign centres on documents held by US law enforcement agencies in connection with investigations and proceedings dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The records are linked to a long-running Freedom of Information Act dispute in the United States involving transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has sought access to files from agencies including the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The matter has been before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Beryl Howell has been handling the dispute over the requested records.

In August, the judge directed US authorities to take steps towards addressing the release of the records after the case had remained before the court for several years. The FBI subsequently submitted some of the documents to the judge under seal for private review.

The documents were not immediately released to Greenspan or the general public. Instead, the FBI asked the court to consider whether the agency had sufficient legal grounds to continue withholding or redacting portions of the material.

The dispute stems partly from a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding in the United States involving approximately $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu.

The forfeiture proceeding was civil in nature and did not amount to a criminal conviction of Tinubu for drug trafficking. Tinubu and his representatives have consistently denied wrongdoing and have maintained that he was never arrested, indicted or convicted for a drug-trafficking offence in the United States.

His legal representatives have also challenged efforts to make some of the records public.

In a recent filing, Tinubu’s lawyers urged the US court to maintain certain redactions and withholding of information contained in FBI and DEA records. They argued that the President’s legal rights should be taken into consideration when determining what information should be released.

Von Batten-Montague-York was engaged by Atiku Abubakar under a 12-month agreement reportedly valued at $1.2 million. Since taking on the engagement, the firm has repeatedly publicised developments concerning the US records linked to Tinubu.

In July, the organisation announced that it had begun sharing more than 60 pages of US Department of Justice documents with members of the Trump administration, lawmakers and congressional staff.

The documents reportedly included court filings, affidavits and other materials connected to the historical forfeiture proceedings.

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