Rep. Val Demings (FL-10)
ORLANDO, FL – Rep. Val Demings (FL-10) and Rep. Elise M. Stefanik (NY-21) introduced bipartisan legislation that directs the U.S. intelligence community to report to Congress regarding the financial assets and hidden networks used by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Said Rep. Demings, “Russia and Putin have been allowed free reign by this administration and as a result our democracy is still at risk. The best way to assail the power of Putin and his enablers is to go after the illegal and secret financial streams that fund their operations. It’s time to fight back and protect our democracy.
“Twenty-six Russians and three Russian companies have already been indicted for interfering with the 2016 election, but this administration has done little to prevent future attacks. Russia has continued its campaigns of disinformation, propaganda, and political and military pressure against U.S. allies and interests.”
Said Rep. Stefanik, “Putin and his political allies seek to weaken democracies worldwide by consolidating their political control through unethical means. I am proud to cosponsor this bill which aims to identify Putin and his allies for who they are: nefarious political actors undermining democracies.”
Background
The legislation can be found here. It requires the creation and submission to Congress of a report on the personal net worth of and assets owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Rep. Demings is a member of the House Intelligence, Judiciary, and Homeland Security Committees, as well as the Congressional Election Protection Task Force. Rep. Stefanik is a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.
Together, they previously introduced the bipartisan Defend Against Russian Disinformation Act to strengthen federal cybersecurity, support intelligence gathering, and enhance NATO military activities. That bill, which was vetted by bipartisan national security experts, recommended investigating the financial assets and networks of the Russian ruling class. The Vladimir Putin Transparency Act builds on this previous work.
