Political Quotes

“I thank my good friend, the distinguished chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I listened to my friend from Texas, who I admire, but he is defending the indefensible. Partisan? I rise strongly in support of the H.J. Res. 30 today disapproving the President's unimaginable proposal to lift sanctions on three companies affiliated with a Russian gangster oligarch, Oleg Deripaska. Congress overwhelmingly passed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, CAATSA, in August of 2017, to hold Putin and his cronies accountable for Russian interference in our election, Russian invasions of sovereign territories of other nations, and its other malign behavior. Under that authority, the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Oleg Deripaska, a close Putin ally, and several of his companies, including United Company RUSAL, EN+ Group, and JSC EuroSibEnergo. In doing so, the Trump Treasury Department stated Deripaska has said he does not separate himself from the Russian state. Deripaska has been investigated for money laundering and has been accused of threatening the lives of business rivals, illegally wiretapping a government official, extortion, organized crime, and racketeering. This is the man you want to lift sanctions on?…”