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At this week's summit in Helsinki, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed what President Trump described as "unbelievable offer": the Kremlin would give access to talks with Russians charged with hacking Democrats in 2016. back, Russia would be allowed to question some US officials that she suspected of interfering in Russian affairs.
One of those American officials is the former US ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul, a sworn enemy of the Kremlin because of his human rights criticism. record.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to dismiss the Kremlin's request to question McFaul and other Americans. Asked during the daily press conference whether President Trump is open to having McFaul questioned by Russia, Sanders said that President Trump "will meet his team" to discuss the issue. 39; offer.
"Between Trump and Putin, Sanders said," but there was no commitment made on behalf of the United States. And the president will work with his team, and we will let you know if there is an announcement on this front. "
The White House's willingness to even consider handing over a former US ambassador for interrogation by the Kremlin has attracted the attention and astonishment of current and former American leaders Such a proposition is unheard of The notion that the president may think that he has the legal authority to entrust to a foreign power alone.
The former secretary of state John Kerry tweeted that the offer was "not something should require a half-second of consultation." Dangerous. "
" The administration must make clear without equivocates that in a million years this would not be in the study, end point.Full stop, "Kerry tweeted
Allow such an interrogation of Americans, especially a former ambassador who had diplomatic protections while he was in Moscow, would be a gesture extraordinary from the Trump administration, according to experts. "The whole country should be aware of it", tweeted Tom Nichols, professor at US Naval War College and Harvard Extension School. "If Putin can choose" McFaul, "says Nichols," he can distinguish any one. The job of the president is to protect us, not even to consider giving ourselves up to an enemy government. "
Even the state department considers the idea" absolutely absurd ", as spokeswoman Heather Nauert said during a briefing questioned about the Russian government's desire to interrogate 11 US citizens, including McFaul.
"We do not support the assertions that the Russian government makes," Nauert said, acknowledging that the interrogation of US officials "would be a serious concern for
Nauert added that a US federal court had rejected Russian allegations against the British businessman at the center of the Kremlin's petition, Bill Browder.
In the mid-2000s, Kremlin officials accused Browder of having a tax evasion scheme involving investments in Russia. After the death in a Russian prison of Browder's lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, Browder lobbied for the Magnitsky Law, which imposed sanctions on Russians accused of human rights violations. The FBI director, Christopher Wray, said Wednesday at NBC's Lester Holt show at the Aspen Security Forum daily that Putin's demand to poll Americans "is certainly not topping the list investigation techniques ". 19659015] McFaul served as the US ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, a tumultuous time in relations between the two countries. President Barack Obama enacted the Magnitsky law in 2012, which provoked retaliation by Russia, including the ban on adoptions of Russian orphans by the United States. McFaul was often the target of anti-American animosity in the Russian media, and he ended up being "Putin's personal enemy ."
"Putin has been harassing me for a long time.The fact that he now wants me to stop, however, brings him to a new level," tweeted McFaul, who is now a Hoover fellow at Stanford University and the director of the Freoge Spogli Institute for International Studies. "Even in Stalin's time, the Soviet government has never had the audacity to try to arrest US government officials." Think about it. "
"I hope the White House will correct the case and denounce categorically Putin's ridiculous request," wrote McFaul. "Do not do it creates a moral equivalence" between a "legitimate US indictment of Russian intelligence officers and a crazy and completely invented story invented by Putin".
Many lawmakers and former US diplomats came to Twitter to defend McFaul and the hashtag "Remember why Putin began to make outrageous and false accusations against @McFaul," tweeted Samantha Power former ambassador from the United States to the United Nations. "Mike has risen for human rights and against Russian oppression, that has terrified Putin.The fact that @realDonaldTrump does not defend an American patriot is a travesty."
Susan Rice, Obama's National Security Advisor, described the White House's statement regarding Putin's request for "Beyond outrageous."
"Amb. McFaul served our country honorably and with complete diplomatic immunity Rice wrote on . "If the White House can not defend and protect our diplomats, like our service members, they serve a foreign power hostile to the American people."
Speaking to Don CNN's Lemon Wednesday, James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence, describes the potential of such an exchange with Putin as "crazy."
"I've never heard of such a thing, "said Clapper." Returning a US citizen, in especially a former ambassador, for the Russians to question him? You must laugh. "
Rep. Eric Swalwell, (D-Calif.) Suggested that overthrowing McFaul to question him would be reasons to attack Trump.
"Take this to the bank, @ RealDonaldTrump: you hand the former US ambassador @McFaul to Putin, you can count Swalwell tweeted: "There is no reason for us to open our evidence files, send our investigators out there for let's revise that, "Swalwell told Erin from CNN. Burnett. "It would be like a victim allowing the burglar to set up the home security system.It's ridiculous."
"It's so ridiculous that it upsets me," tweeted Steven L. Hall, former head of Russian operations of the CIA.
Harry Litman, a former federal prosecutor, challenged the president's power to hand over any US citizen to the Russians. "How can the president understand that he can hand over the hands of Michael McFaul, a simple citizen, to the Russians – just order him to go to Moscow – talk about the great theories of executive power," he tweeted.
First, McFaul was protected with complete diplomatic immunity during his time as ambassador. If Secretary of State Mike Pompeo waives this protection, "he will lose all support inside his building," tweeted Brian P. McKeon, former senior assistant deputy secretary of defense for political .
Second, the United States did not deal with extradition with Russia. Even if that were the case, a country that requests the extradition of a US citizen must justify its application to the US Department of Justice and Courts.
The United States has a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty that "requires the offense to be a crime. the two countries, "said McKeon, who also allows a party to refuse claims that are considered political crimes and" there is of course no comparison "between the Russian agents' accusation by the Department of Justice and the charges against McFaul, "said McKeon. (" DOMContentLoaded ", function () {});
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