House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speak during a briefing in reaction to Republican legislation to overhaul the tax code on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 2, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:46 pm
After Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed in an interview with Megyn Kelly to never extradite the 13 Russians charged with 2016 U.S. election tampering to boost then candidate Donald Trump, top Democrats argued that Trump has failed to counter Russia’s effort in meddling and refuses to punish Russia with the unanimously passed sanctions.
It is extraordinary and confounding how little your administration is doing to counter Putin’s campaign to undermine our grand democracy, including the refusal to implement sanctions that passed Congress nearly unanimously,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) wrote in a letter to the President.
The Democrats demanded that President Trump exhaust all resources to bring the fugitives to trial and asking Trump to show he’s serious about preventing Russia’s election meddling in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.
Democrats urged him “to use all available resources from the Department of Justice to the State Department to extradite the 13 Russian nationals indicted by the D.C. Grand Jury to justice and stand trial in the United States.”
Democrats note that the inaction on the part of the Trump administration regarding the integrity of American elections has been unacceptable.
The Democrats wrote that it is critical it is for these Russian nationals to stand trial in the United States to deter Russia and other foreign powers from attempting to attack our Democracy in the future, “Ensuring these Russian nationals stand trial in the United States is imperative for deterring Russia from future attacks on our democracy and would be a signal to those who seek to meddle with our election that such actions are not without consequences.”
The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies, including social media trolling company St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency.
Mueller’s indictment accused the Russians of adopting false online personas to push divisive messages, collecting intelligence in the United States and staging political rallies while posing as Americans.
President Trump has refused to take action on the sanctions Congress approved to punish Russia for its meddling and as of March 4th, Trump’s State Department has not spent a penny of the $120 million allocated to fight Russian meddling in our elections.
The Democrats are not in power in either chamber of Congress, and the Republicans have shown no move toward holding their President accountable for protecting the United States even as she is being attacked by a hostile foreign power. The Democrats are using the limited power they have to try to pressure Republicans to protect their country before the 2018 elections by raising public awareness of their inaction.
Full text of the Democrats’ letter to President Trump as it was sent to PoliticusUSA can be found below:
Dear Mr. President,
We write to urge your administration to devote all resources available to ensure that the Russian nationals indicted for allegedly interfering with the 2016 elections are brought to justice and stand trial in the United States.
In February, a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia issued an indictment charging 13 Russian nationals with crimes related to efforts to interfere with our elections and political processes. These individuals are alleged to have engaged in conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire and bank fraud, and identity theft while employed by the Internet Research Agency, a St. Petersburg-based organization which carried out operations targeting the United States.
Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted in an interview that Russia will “never” extradite any of the Russians indicted for election-meddling. While Putin’s stance is not surprising, it is also simply unacceptable.
The Russian government’s efforts to interfere with American democracy have not abated since the 2016 election and likely have intensified. It is extraordinary and confounding how little your administration is doing to counter Putin’s campaign to undermine our grand democracy, including the refusal to implement sanctions that passed Congress nearly unanimously.
Even without an extradition treaty the U.S. government has a number of tools at its disposal through the Departments of Justice and State to ensure these Russian nationals are brought to justice. The Department of Justice can obtain an Interpol Red Notice, which acts like an international arrest warrant, which can severely restrict a fugitive’s ability to live and travel overseas. The Department of State and your White House can also use its leverage through diplomatic channels, including by raising the issue directly with President Putin, to ensure Russia and other nations cooperate with a request for extradition.
It is of the utmost importance that these agencies have the resources to work to secure these fugitives and are allowed to conduct their efforts to bring them to justice free from any political interference. Ensuring these Russian nationals stand trial in the United States is imperative for deterring Russia from future attacks on our democracy and would be a signal to those who seek to meddle with our election that such actions are not without consequences.
Sincerely,
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
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