House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in an interview on Sunday that he supports the idea of giving frozen Russian Central Bank funds to Ukraine to fuel the proxy war, a step that would significantly escalate the US economic campaign against Russia.
Johnson expressed support for the REPO Act, a bill that’s been introduced in both chambers of Congress that would authorize the secretary of state to “provide additional assistance to Ukraine using assets confiscated from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and other sovereign assets of the Russian Federation, and for other purposes.”
Discussing the REPO Act, Johnson said, “If we can use the seized assets of Russian oligarchs to allow the Ukrainians to fight them, that’s just pure poetry.”
The Biden administration has come out in favor of stealing Russian funds to arm Ukraine, and the REPO Act has strong bipartisan support. The House version of the bill has 80 cosponsors, including 52 Republicans and 28 Democrats.
The US and its allies have frozen about $300 billion in Russian Central Bank funds, including $67 billion that’s held in the US and about $200 billion held in Europe. The EU is looking to set aside 3 billion euros per year for Ukraine using profits made by the Russian funds, but Western banks are warning against the plan.
The banks are concerned that if they’re involved in the transfer of the money, they could be subject to legal action once sanctions on Russia are eased or lifted. They also fear the move would set a dangerous precedent and undermine trust in the Western banking system.
Johnson also floated the idea of loaning money to Ukraine, which is supported by former President Trump. “Even President Trump has talked about the loan concept, where … we’re not just giving foreign aid, we’re setting it up in a relationship where they can provide it back to us when the time is right,” he said.
Ever and always, theft and murder go hand in hand.
Lie, Cheat and Steal slogan of CIA has penetrated the US congress…!
They should declare themselves the ‘lawmakers against the rule of law’ caucus.
Another criminal act by Congress!
They’re just try’n to get by
the best that they can
And we all gotta duck
when the shit hits the fan
As an American Citizen who is sick of the wealthy Members of Congress, present and past, who made their money by insider trading, by forming policies to enrich themselves, I want ALL their assets confiscated and paid back to Americans.
Sound bloody logic Ginah and well said.
recall that speaker Johnson suggested that himself was “just like Moses”
What does that even mean? He talks to God?
Yeah, he’s said that too. God came out and told him to become Speaker to further “his” kingdom. He’s a seriously damaged man.
I wouldn’t mind such language if he weren’t speaking it in service of the US empire.
Both Islam and Christianity have imperial pasts and associations, but the US empire isn’t Christian. Judaism is probably a nation state ideology or a transnational elite one. It’s different anyway.
But the US makes good use of Christianity in politics, it sells well.
The religion of the US Empire is the worship of power (most often interpreted as money, but that’s only a counter in the game to these people).
But he blends in, you would never notice.
Which? God? Or Johnson? 🙂
that was almost exactly his very words
Well, not the damaged part . . . 🙂
So he’s going to lead us to wander in circles for the next 40 years?
Dear Speaker: You want to do some good with that $300B, get some aid to those starving people on that little strip of waterfront property w/natural gas reserves you’ve turned into dead bodies and rubble you f’g genocidal pos.
🇺🇸USA 🇺🇸USA 💣Bombs Away 💣Bombs Away
How Many Babies Did You Kill Today?
You are just as deluded as Johnson. That $300B is not yours (USA) to give away or use. That is theft. If Russia froze the assets of any or all of the 12 Fed. Reserve Banks (which btw are private corporations and not owned/controlled by the US gov’t but by the large commercial US banks), and then proposed using those funds to aid Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Iran, or any of the other US victims, you would be apoplectic and scream bloody murder. Get a grip!
LOL, satire you dip.
undermine trust in the Western banking system.
You’re a little late on that one, folks.
F the bank system It’ll only hurt your dictator so who gives a sh!t.
He should’ve not stolen land from neighbors.
There are consequences for that.
Learn from dumbass, Putin. Apply that to yourself.
Serves them right for putting their money in the West. Next time don’t bank with thieves!
It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time, before he became Speaker, that Mike Johnson said some things I rather respected. Now he has revealed himself to be a fool: this action will come back to bite the U.S. in the butt big-time. I suppose it’s the natural next step, though, for a nation that has completely lost its way and is speeding toward moral debauchery the likes of which has not been seen in ninety years.
Not one nice word for the overpaid used car sales people in Washington.
Well, well. Woder what they have on him.
What a lawless world we live in, civilized democracies are being turned into lawless Banana Republics with criminal government officials. It is as if public officials without honor are acceptable and have become the norm.
Was it lawless when your dictator decided to invade and annex sovereign territory?
You fcking hypocrites.
You have zero morals, zero shame.
„Stealing Russian funds to fuel the proxy war would mark a significant escalation in the economic campaign against Russia”
Stealing? Lol.
I love all the hypocrites rushing to defend a filthy rich dictator that has been stealing land from Ukraine for over 2 years. 🤷🏽♂️
Putin is the real thief here and i hope they transfer everything to Ukraine.
It’s call forced reparations for all the damage Nazi Putin has caused to Ukraine.
F Putin, The land thief.