Does it count as bipartisan when six Democrats and one lame-duck Republican do something right? If so, I have to give credit to Chris Coons for a bipartisan move that bares some teeth.
Democrats and outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) are telling banks and ports that Congress may investigate imports of Russian diesel after President Trump said the U.S. would import the fuel.
In letters to major banks and several U.S. port authorities the lawmakers wrote that “any importation of Russian diesel into the U.S. raises significant legal questions and may be subject to legal action, as well as congressional investigations.”
“Companies that import products in violation of U.S. law may expose themselves to both criminal and civil liability,” they wrote. “Moreover, criminal penalties may apply to any company that knowingly buys Russian diesel or facilitates its importation, and not simply the importer of record.”
In the letters, Tillis, as well as Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chris Coons (Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), asked the banks and ports to preserve records of any proposed or actual imports or transactions related to Russian diesel.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/6172712-tillis-russia-diesel-deal/
