Democrats ask banks and ports to preserve records on Russian diesel imports under Trump deal

Left · 1Democratic senators and representatives have sent letters to six major US banks and several port authorities asking them to preserve all documents related to possible deliveries of Russian diesel, Axios reported. 1 Left · 1The recipients include JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and port authorities in Houston, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, New York and New Jersey. 1 Left · 1Raw Story, citing Axios, says the letter is dated Oct. 24 and was signed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), five other Democrats and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). It asks recipients to confirm by Wednesday that they are preserving contracts, shipping documents and payment records. 2

Left · 2The letters urge recipients not to help with the "purchase, transportation, importation, unloading, storage, financing, or distribution" of Russian diesel in the US, or its delivery to other markets. The lawmakers wrote that any importation "raises significant legal questions and may be subject to legal action, as well as congressional investigations," and that criminal penalties may apply to any company that knowingly buys the diesel or facilitates its import, not only the importer of record. 1 2 Left · 2Trump announced on Oct. 9 that he had agreed with Vladimir Putin on Russian diesel deliveries to world markets, promising lower prices. Treasury the same day issued a license allowing Russian diesel transactions, including importation into the US, through April 7, 2027. 1 2 Left · 1Trump said Russia would deliver more than 300,000 tons immediately, another 500,000 tons in November and a further one million tons after that. 1

Left · 2According to Reuters, the first tanker, the Agioi Fanendes, loaded 40,000 metric tons at Primorsk on Oct. 22 and is expected in New York on Nov. 7, though Axios noted that ships' planned destinations often change. 2 1 Left · 1Critics say the license conflicts with the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, which bans Russian energy imports. Under that law a president may lift the ban only after consulting Congress, certifying that Russia has agreed to leave Ukraine on terms Kyiv accepts, and waiting 90 days. A bipartisan group of senators, including Tillis, said on Oct. 11 that the administration had failed to consult Congress. 2 Left · 1Lawfare's Scott R. Anderson wrote that Trump could pardon criminal violations but not civil fines, which can equal the fuel's value and reach seizure of ships, and which can be pursued for five years, so a later administration could bring them. He concluded the license seems unlikely to increase US imports of Russian diesel. 2

Left · 1The administration told The Hill the move is legal. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers accused Democrats of a "decade-long obsession with investigating President Trump." Treasury's terrorism and financial intelligence office said on X that the license complies with all applicable laws. 2 Left · 2Axios reported that investigating the deal would become a priority if Democrats win one or both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 elections, giving them key committees on foreign relations, banking, finance and the judiciary. Separately, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) has introduced a bill to nullify the license. 1 2