Shaheen, Warren, Kaine Condemn Trump Administration’s Abuse of Global Magnitsky Act

Shaheen, Warren, Kaine Condemn Trump Administration's Abuse of Global Magnitsky Act

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, released a statement on the Trump Administration's abuse of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

"The Trump administration's decision this week to remove sanctions on former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes is a step backwards for the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Enacted in 2016 with bipartisan support, the law represents a clear directive from Congress that officials who engage in systemic corruption should be held accountable.

"In turning a blind eye to the past documented corruption of former President Cartes-who the U.S. Treasury Department found to have engaged in corrupt schemes-the Trump administration is once again politicizing Global Magnitsky sanctions for its own political gain. The administration has also failed to provide statutorily required advance notice about these actions to Congress.

"The decision to remove sanctions on Cartes follows the Trump administration's use of Magnitsky sanctions against the wife of a Brazilian Supreme Court Justice involved in former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's trial and removal of sanctions against former Hungarian official Antal Rogan, who had been sanctioned for his role in corruption in Hungary.

"These actions fly in the face of the spirit and purpose of the Global Magnitsky Act, and send a signal that America's commitment to fighting corruption hinges on political winds. We call on the Trump Administration to implement the law as it was intended-to promote accountability for those who engage in serious human rights abuse and corruption at the expense of their citizens."

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