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Senators Thune, Rounds vote to allow sanctions to expire against Russian oligarch

S.D. Democratic Party takes issues with the Senators' votes

by Todd Epp
FILE PHOTO: Russian aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska waits before the talks of Russian President Vladimir Putin with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo.
FILE PHOTO: Russian aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska waits before the talks of Russian President Vladimir Putin with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo.

WASHINGTON (KELO.com) -- Senators Mike Rounds and John Thune voted this week against extending economic sanctions against companies owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

That vote failed to continue the sanctions against Deripaska.

The South Dakota Democratic Party took issue with the South Dakota Senators' votes. 

"A bipartisan majority of Senators voted today (Wednesday) to overrule the Trump Administration's efforts to ease sanctions against companies owned by a Russian oligarch with close ties to both Paul Manafort and Vladimir Putin," said SDDP executive director Sam Parkinson. "Unfortunately, despite the ongoing investigation of the Special Counsel's investigation into Russian interference in our elections, Senators Rounds and Thune joined with other Republican senators to block this effort.'

Parkinson said that Rounds, Thune, and Republicans in Congress are "putting loyalty to the wishes of President Trump above the national interest."

"We call on Rounds and Thune to reconsider their position on this matter and support the efforts to continue these sanctions, Parkinson said.

In response to the Democrat's allegations, Rounds spokeswoman Katie Douglas provided KELO.com News with the following statement from Rounds and additional background on the Senator's vote.

  • Rounds: “There’s no question that Russia should be held accountable for its destabilizing actions toward the U.S. and our allies, but this vote was not about holding bad actors accountable. It was a political stunt. The goal of sanctions – to gain concessions – was successful in this case, and the Treasury Department is following the law in its proposal to lift the sanctions on these companies, including at least one that is publicly traded. Since coming to the Senate, I’ve supported a number of measures to impose sanctions on Russian entities, and will continue to hold them accountable for their bad behavior.” 

Rounds' office also offered the following background:

  • The sanctions imposed on the companies linked to Oleg Deripaska were designed to bring about a change in his behavior.
  • The termination of these sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department proved the sanctions worked.
  • Treasury followed clearly established practices that were actually written by Congress, and that the Democrat Leader himself voted for.
  • The Democrat Leader’s actions suggest that our laws don’t matter.
  • If we don’t like the laws currently in place, we should change them.
  • These discussions are already underway among senators.
  • Over the past two years, the Trump administration has designated nearly 300 Russian-related individuals and entities for sanctions, expelled dozens of Russian intelligence offers from the U.S. and closed Russian diplomatic outposts.

Thune's office did not respond to KELO.com News' request for comment.

The state Democratic Party also noted:

  • "Given the actions of the Trump administration in this matter, as well as recent revelations that President Trump has gone to "extraordinary lengths" - including seizing notes from his own interpreter - to conceal details about his interactions with Vladimir Putin, we also call upon Senator Thune to release any notes from the meetings he and several other congressional Republicans had with Russian officials on July 4 of this past year. Where President Trump has fallen short in transparency in dealing with a foreign government that interfered in our elections, Senator Thune has the opportunity to do better, and we encourage him to do so."

According to Reuters: 

"The U.S. House of Representatives backed legislation on Thursday to keep sanctions on companies linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, including aluminum firm Rusal (0486.HK), but the Trump administration is expected to lift them as soon as Friday. 

The Democratic-led House voted by an overwhelming 362 to 53 in favor of a resolution of disapproval of the U.S. Treasury Department’s decision last month to lift sanctions on the core businesses of Deripaska: Rusal, its parent, En+ (ENPLq.L); and power firm EuroSibEnergo Plc. 

But the vote was only symbolic, after a similar measure failed in the Republican-led Senate on Wednesday, in a victory for President Donald Trump."

South Dakota Republican Congressman Dusty Johnson voted in favor of continuing the sanctions.

(Reuters, one of KELO.com's News news services, contributed to this report.)

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