As questionable and potentially criminal as Donald Trump’s actions in the White House involving Russian government operatives are, he cannot accomplish the undermining of our country without the support of GOP leaders who either turn a blind eye or are just as entrenched as Trump is.
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It turns out that the biggest donor for Mitch McConnell (R: Moscow) is none other than the Russian oligarch that the GOP just lifted sanctions on.https://t.co/kVCbQa7cIr
— Roshan Rinaldi (@Roshan_Rinaldi) January 29, 2019
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has led the fight to lift sanctions on Russia following the Kremlin-led cyberattack on America in support of the election of Donald Trump. The recent lifting of sanctions on Russia passed the Senate despite enormous efforts to stop it.
Thanks to #CitizensUnited, it's not just the Koch brothers who can buy elections. Russia can, too, with oligarchs like Leonard #Blavatnik, a naturalized American, funneling millions into GOP PACs. https://t.co/GtuDPYvJ02 https://t.co/91qkbqHjYH
— Craig Unger (@craigunger) January 22, 2019
Rusal is owned by two men, one of whom is a naturalized citizen to the U.S. who is from Russia and is still deeply involved with other Russian oligarchs and considered a Russian oligarch himself. That man, Leonard Blavatnik, has donated millions of dollars into U.S. political campaigns, but in 2015, he began donating heavily to GOP candidates.
‘Blavatnik’s political contributions soared and made a hard right turn as he pumped $6.35 million into GOP political action committees, with millions of dollars going to top Republican leaders including Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.’
NEW: The billionaire donor LEN BLAVATNIK stands to make $$$$$ from @USTreasury’s move on Sunday to lift sanctions on OLEG DERIPASKA’s @UC_RUSAL.
* In 2017, Blavatnik announced an investment in a film company that was owned partly by … STEVE MNUCHIN. https://t.co/N66xs8FDJT— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) January 29, 2019
As one of McConnell’s biggest donors, this puts his backing of the lifting of sanctions in the spotlight. While the donations are not defined as illegal, McConnell’s actions are certainly questionable.
”Two weeks after the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell’s PAC accepted a $1 million donation from Blavatnik’s AI-Altep Holdings. The PAC took another $1 million from Blavatnik’s AI-Altep Holdings on March 30, 2017, just 10 days after former FBI Director James Comey publicly testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia’s interference in the election.’
.@USTreasury says MNUCHIN did not recuse from DERIPASKA sanctions, or request ethics guidance on his relationship with BLAVATNIK, because the two didn't do direct biz.
Mnuchin did, however, attend a party on Blavatnik’s $100M yacht, Odessa, pictured here. https://t.co/N66xs8FDJT pic.twitter.com/PXJb0yX3rA
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) January 29, 2019
Featured image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons license
