There is an oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, in Russia who is king of aluminum. A few months ago, he was under sanctions by our government. This meant he could not visit the U.S. or do business here. He has been identified as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man for disruption of democracies around the world.
So a while ago, our president, ever mindful of Russian needs, proposed lifting these U.S. imposed sanctions, including the Deripaska sanctions.
There was immediate and strong bipartisan reaction against Trump’s proposal; half of the House Republicans, a number of Senate Republicans. A problem for Deripaska?
Nah. Just tell Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell you’ll help out his 2020 reelection by building the country’s largest aluminum plant right there in Kentucky, his state.
Then, McConnell doesn’t let the Senate vote against the sanctions, they are lifted, and a week later Ruslan, Deripaska’s company, announces it will aluminize Kentucky with a $2 million plant.
Moscow Mitch, the man who would not allow his Senate to vote on election protections against Russian interference, strikes again. This self-described Grim Reaper is representing a foreign government as an unregistered agent. Lock him up!
Leo Cohen
Durango
