House Democrats Want Answers on Admin's Decision to Lift Sanctions on Deripaska Companies

Munchkin due on the hill tomorrow.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/01/house-democrats-sanctions-oleg-deripaska-russia-steven-mnuchin/

House Democrats are demanding answers from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on why his agency removed companies owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska from its list of sanctioned companies last month. Deripaska, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, made his fortune through his control of Russian energy and aluminum companies, several of which were placed under strict sanctions by the US Treasury Department in April 2018. At the time, Mnuchin said that the sanctions—which also hit six other Russian oligarchs—were in response to the Russian government’s involvement with “malign activity” around the world and the reality that oligarchs “profit from this corrupt system.”

In December, Treasury announced it was planning to lift the sanctions on Deripaska’s companies on January 19, after Deripaska agreed to divest large portions of the three companies he owns—En+ Group LLC, a large mining and energy conglomerate; UC Rusal PLC, one of the largest aluminum mining companies in the world; and JSC EuroSibEnergo, Russia’s largest private power company. The Democratic chairmen of five House committees sent a letter to Mnuchin on Tuesday asking him to meet with them to explain the decision to remove the sanctions.

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Mnuchin will provide a classified briefing to lawmakers Thursday on the decision, according to Politico.

Under the law, Congress has 30 days from the announcement of the sanctions delisting to counter the move. Harrell says that to block the decision, both houses of Congress would have to pass resolutions opposing the delisting—and by majorities that can survive a potential Trump veto. By giving the 30-day notice of delisting on December 19, just days before the end of the last Congress, the administration made it harder for congressional opposition to organize, Harrell says.

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