|
The move to disband Task Force KleptoCapture is one of several
moves undertaken by the Justice Department under the new
leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi that presage a
different approach toward Russia and national security issues.
The department also ended the Foreign Influence Task Force,
which was established in the first Trump administration to
police influence campaigns staged by Russia and other nations
aimed at sowing discord, undermining democracy and spreading
disinformation. The U.S. government in the run-up to the 2024
presidential election aggressively moved to disrupt propaganda
campaigns by Russia, which officials have assessed had a
preference for Trump.
In a memo addressed to all employees Wednesday — the first day
of Bondi's tenure — the attorney general's office stated that
“attorneys assigned to those initiatives shall return to their
prior posts, and resources currently devoted to those efforts
shall be committed to the total elimination of Cartels and TCOs”
— an acronym for Transnational Criminal Organizations.
The Trump administration has made combating the illicit flow of
fentanyl into the U.S. a priority. The opioid is blamed for some
70,000 overdose deaths annually.
The Justice Department on Wednesday also shifted its approach to
enforcement of a World War II-era law known as the Foreign
Agents Registration Act, which requires people to disclose to
the government when they lobby in the U.S. on behalf of foreign
governments -- including Russia -- or political entities. Under
the policy change, prosecutors were directed to focus criminal
enforcement on acts of more traditional espionage rather than
registration violations.
Despite the disbanding of the task force, Trump administration
officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have
called for a more aggressive stance on Russia. During his
confirmation hearing, Bessent advocated for stronger sanctions
on Russian oil, saying the Biden administration’s sanctions
regime wasn’t “muscular” enough.
“I believe the previous administration was worried about raising
U.S. energy prices during an election season,” he said.
Trump has said he will bring about a rapid end to the war in
Ukraine and said talks are ongoing to bring the conflict to a
close. “We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine,” Trump
said earlier this week. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going to
stop that ridiculous war.”
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
