Logan Sargeant’s Household Tied to Trump-Ukraine Scandal

System 2 racer Logan Sargeant has been hailed by many as the subsequent nice hope for an American driver in System 1. Out of all of the potential candidates — and actually, there aren’t many — Sargeant is the very best on the junior collection ladder, and whereas he hasn’t essentially been a barn-burner, he’s been fairly rattling good. His household cash, although, has actually been some locations.

See, Logan Sargeant’s grandfather is Harry Sargeant III, a former fighter pilot who operates a multibillion-dollar conglomerate that features aviation firms, oil refineries, oil buying and selling operations, various fuels improvement, and oil and asphalt delivery. He owns the Worldwide Oil Buying and selling Firm, which provides aviation gasoline to the U.S. navy in Iraq. He additionally heads Sargeant Buying and selling, based by his father, which boasts the biggest fleet of asphalt tankers and barges on the earth. Harry Sargeant III has his fingers in loads of pies, and has amassed fairly a fortune — precise numbers are exhausting to pin down, however he’s estimated to be value someplace between $2 and $3 billion.

As with many monied people, the elder Sargeant has gotten very concerned in politics. And lately, his donations have put him beneath the microscope as a part of broader investigations into former President Donald Trump.

See, Harry Sargeant III donated cash to Lev Parnas at a time in 2020 when Parnas, the now-indicted affiliate of Rudy Giuliani, was trying to persuade Ukraine and different international locations to publicize damaging tales concerning the U.S. Democratic occasion in an try and make Trump’s 2020 re-election marketing campaign look extra legit. From Mother Jones:

Home Democrats on Wednesday released WhatsApp messages between Parnas and Harry Sargeant III, an oil and delivery magnate who lives in Florida, as a part of a trove of fabric they lately obtained from Parnas. The messages present that Sargeant helped fund a few of Parnas’ journey and was supportive of efforts by Parnas and Giuliani to persuade Trump to take away US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Parnas and Giuliani have said they believed Yovanovitch’s removing would assist them strain Ukraine’s authorities to supply grime on Trump’s foes. Sargeant, a monetary backer of Giuliani’s 2008 presidential marketing campaign, is pleasant with the previous New York mayor. Sargeant met Parnas via Giuliani, a supply mentioned.

Parnas’ attorney claimed that Sargeant was simply loaning money to Parnas and had no idea how that money would be used. Sargeant had expected to be repaid, the attorney said. However, the WhatsApp messages frequently show Sargeant voicing support for Parnas and Giuliani’s plans, including the ousting of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

We’re publishing this revelation not as an indictment of Logan Sargeant, who ultimately has little influence over how members of his family earn or spend their money. This is not meant to dissuade you from being a fan of the driver. Rather, we write this to highlight the fact that motorsport — whether we like it or not — is an inherently political sport, largely because it’s so expensive to compete at the very top levels. No matter who you’re rooting for, it’s always instructive to look at who is funding a certain driver’s career, and where else that financial backer spends their money. You never know what kind of stories you’ll dig up along the way.