Congressman Doggett on Rejecting Trump’s Russian Sanctions Relief

***Press Release***

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Congressman Doggett on Rejecting Trump's Russian Sanctions Relief

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Lloyd Doggett reacted to today's Senate vote to begin debate on a resolution of disapproval of the Trump Administration's effort to lift sanctions on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska's companies, and to the House introduction of a similar resolution. Congressman Doggett previously uncovered that the Trump Administration granted a tariff exemption to Rusal USA a mere three days after the Helsinki summit, raising the exemption in a hearing in July of last year. He has been asking questions regarding these transactions since last spring.

"Amidst one disclosure after another about President Trump's peculiar relationship with Russian interests, now is hardly the time to lift sanctions on the companies of one of Putin's closest buddies, Oleg Deripaska, whom Treasury previously noted ‘does not separate himself from the Russian state.' Hopefully, the House will join the Senate in promptly advancing disapproval of another bit of inexplicable Trump Administration favoritism.

The more light shed on this sordid arrangement, the worse it looks. We need a full intelligence review regarding whether this Trump agreement allows Deripaska to maintain effective influence over these businesses. It is very disappointing that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has so far failed to extend the deadline to enable thorough Congressional review, as he once appeared willing to do."

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