The filing, submitted Monday, expands on a motion Drummond filed October 22 to begin discovery in his lawsuit seeking to stop the smelter's development. It asks the companies to identify their communications and agreements with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and former senior adviser, and his investment firm; to state whether Kushner or any affiliated entity holds an interest in or benefits from the project or its Emirati owners; and to identify the source of funds behind the Emirati investment. The state also broadened its requests to reach financial interests held by a public official's in-laws.

The concerns follow an excerpt from journalist Matthew Cole's forthcoming book, "Princes and Thieves," published in Vanity Fair on October 22 under the headline "The Art of the Deal: Jared Kushner's Hacked Phone Revealed His Secret Negotiations – Including More Than $700 Million in Transfers." According to the excerpt, the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia placed approximately $2 billion, beginning in 2017, into bank accounts for Kushner. One account was held at First Abu Dhabi Bank, chaired by the brother of the United Arab Emirates president, and the payments were allegedly made in exchange for Kushner advancing the Emirates' interests within the U.S. government. Kushner has denied the claims.

"These are allegations, not findings, and the State treats them as such," Drummond said in the filing. "But they are serious allegations about the government that owns sixty percent of this project, and the State is entitled to find out whether they reach (the project)."

Drummond noted that the companies told a federal court the venture was secured through a government-to-government partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. "The reports describe that same government paying a senior United States official, through a bank chaired by its ruler's brother, for his influence over United States policy," he said. "If any public official or member of a public official's family holds an interest in, or stands to benefit from, the Emirati investment behind the Inola smelter, that fact bears squarely on issues (that are a part of this case)."

The project is a joint venture between Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), a state-owned enterprise of the UAE that holds a 60 percent controlling interest, and Century Aluminum, which holds the remaining 40 percent. The proposed facility, Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, would be the largest primary aluminum production plant ever constructed in the U.S., with a planned capacity exceeding 750,000 metric tons per year. It would occupy about 633 acres along the Verdigris River, within roughly three miles of Inola's schools, homes and farms.

Drummond has argued that primary aluminum smelting generates hazardous waste, consumes significant electricity and water, and is among the most polluting heavy-industrial activities. His filing also notes that the process causes fluoride to settle on hay and can harm cattle, threatening Oklahoma's largest agricultural sector. The project is supported by up to $500 million in federal funding and approximately $255 million in state performance-based rebates.

The attorney general's scrutiny of the smelter has become a point of contention with Governor-elect Mike Mazzei ahead of the Republican primary runoff. Mazzei and current Gov. Kevin Stitt have argued the smelter would provide an economic boost for Oklahoma. The Inola City Council recently voted to extend a moratorium on construction of the plant.

Drummond filed suit in June to stop the smelter's development. The new discovery requests are aimed at uncovering whether the foreign investment behind the project reaches public officials or their families, a question the state says is central to its case.