Wicker, Shaheen press Trump admin on sanctioned Russian officials’ DC trip

FIRST ON FOX: Two senior bipartisan senators want to know why sanctioned Russian officials were in Washington, D.C., and given access to the Capitol and meetings with administration officials as the wars in Iran and Ukraine rage.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have raised counterintelligence concerns following a recent visit by a delegation of Russian Duma members, all of whom are sanctioned for “conduct deemed detrimental to the national security of the United States.”

“The delegation came to U.S. soil for one purpose: to advance the Kremlin’s strategic goals, including the collection of additional useful intelligence,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

TRUMP LOOKS AT ATTORNEY GENERAL AS KEY GOP SENATOR REPORTS POTENTIAL OBSTACLE

Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jeanne Shahenn, D-N.H., raised counterintelligence concerns following the recent visit of a delegation of Russian officials to Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images; Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

“They did not come to engage in dialogue or pursue democratic objectives,” they continued.

The lawmakers argued that the Duma members “include Kremlin subordinates who have committed numerous cybercriminal and ransomware attacks against Americans and facilitated war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.”

“Remarkably, they are now helping Iran target U.S. military and diplomatic personnel across the Middle East,” Wicker and Shaheen wrote.

SENA to question Trump’s intelligence leaders over Iran war after top officials leave in protest

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the Moscow-appointed head of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, November 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin via AP)

Several members of the Russian Duma visited Washington, D.C., late last month on a trip organized by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. She was joined by Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, for a meeting with the delegation.

Luna then gave them a tour of the Capitol after posing for photos in front of the United States Institute of Peace.

“As representatives of the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers, we owe our citizens open dialogue, exchange of ideas and open lines of communication,” Luna told X after the meeting. “We will continue to foster this dialogue and promote peace in support of this project. [administration’s] efforts, as well as economic opportunities.

GRAHAM DECLARES RUSSIA SANCTIONS BILL “NEVER COMING BACK ON THE SHELF” AFTER TRUMP RETURN

Wicker and Shaheen noted that the members of the Duma were “far from being innocent participants in a cultural exchange.”

“These included Vyacheslav Nikonov, who in 2023 referred to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the “Fourth Reich” on Russian television. Mikhail Delyagin advocated the destruction of Ukraine’s energy sector. Boris Chernyshov once claimed that Russian retaliatory strikes were “an expression of our hatred.” [of Ukraine],'” they wrote.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Wicker and Shaheen demanded that Rubio and Bessent explain why sanctions were lifted for the Russian officials’ visit, what meetings the delegation had with Trump administration officials, what counterintelligence assessments were conducted on the visiting Russians and provide a full manifesto of those coming from the Russian Federation.

The lawmakers wrote that the delegation’s visit came “at a time when Russia’s intentions are clear and unambiguous.”

“Numerous public reports have cited Russian support for Iranian military targeting of U.S. military personnel in the Middle East,” they wrote. “European intelligence agencies have reported that Russia intends to attack NATO member states in the coming years. And [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made it clear that peace in Ukraine is a mirage. His only ambition for Ukraine is to erase its existence. »