US Democrats demand banks and ports preserve records on Trump's Russian diesel deal
Democratic members of the US Congress have sent letters to six major banks and several ports, asking them to preserve all documents on possible Russian fuel deliveries. It lays groundwork for an investigation if Democrats regain control of Congress in the November 3 elections.
Senior Democrats in the US Congress are preparing to investigate President Donald Trump's agreement with Moscow on Russian diesel, and have demanded that American companies preserve all documents linked to imports of Russian fuel, according to the news outlet Axios. If Democrats win one or both chambers of Congress in the November 3 elections, they could take over key committees covering foreign relations, banking, finance and the judiciary, and scrutiny of Trump's dealings with Russia would then become a priority.
Who received the letters
A group of senators and representatives addressed letters to the leadership of major US banks: JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Port authorities in Houston, Beaumont and Corpus Christi in Texas, along with the ports of New York and New Jersey, also received them.
The lawmakers urge the recipients not to help with the purchase, transportation, importation, unloading, storage, financing or distribution of Russian diesel within the United States, nor to take part in its delivery to other markets.
Background to the deal
On October 9, Trump announced he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on deliveries of Russian diesel to world markets. To make this possible, the US Treasury Department temporarily eased sanctions on Russian diesel until April 7, 2027. Trump said Russia would immediately deliver more than 300,000 tons of diesel, another 500,000 tons in November, and a further one million tons after that.
Reuters reported that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel left the port of Primorsk on October 22. It is expected to deliver 40,000 tons of fuel to New York by November 7.
