WASHINGTON — The deadline that seven lawmakers set for six banks and four ports to say whether they will handle Russian diesel arrives Wednesday with no public response from any of them, as a second Democratic letter warns fuel importers that a Treasury license may not protect them.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote Oct. 26 to Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute, Chet Thompson of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and Suzanne Clark of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with a copy to Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). The letter argues that General License 135 “provides no shield” against the 2022 Russian oil import ban, Public Law 117-109, and that importers could face penalties of up to 20 years in prison under a 10-year statute of limitations. Raskin also notes that Section 4(b) of Executive Order 14436 leaves earlier sanctions under Executive Order 14066 in place.
The administration says the imports are legal and aimed at prices. Treasury has said the arrangement is lawful, Axios reported. President Trump has said, “Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.” Treasury issued the license Oct. 9; it runs to April 7, 2027. Diesel had reached $6.18 a gallon on Oct. 12, up from $3.48, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
The original letter
The Oct. 28 deadline comes from a letter, reported by the Inquisitor, from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). It went to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and to the ports of Houston, Corpus Christi, Beaumont and New York and New Jersey.
Axios reported Oct. 26 that several signers are in line to lead committees if Democrats win a majority. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers responded: “The Democrats are already telegraphing that, once again, they have no agenda to improve the lives of Americans and will instead continue their decade-long obsession with investigating President Trump.” The analytics firm TankerTrackers told Axios that three tankers had signaled U.S. destinations.
What comes next
Neither letter carries subpoena power; the signers are in the minority, apart from Tillis, who is retiring. The Senate is out until Nov. 9, with pro forma sessions on Oct. 29, Nov. 2 and Nov. 5. Any answers the companies send may not be made public unless the lawmakers release them.
Who was contacted
Photo: Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. U.S. House of Representatives, via Wikimedia Commons.
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