The Briefing Room

General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: Sanguine on February 10, 2019, 02:59:02 pm

Title: McCaul Statement on Administration’s Response to Magnitsky Act
Post by: Sanguine on February 10, 2019, 02:59:02 pm
Quote
Press Release 02.09.19
Media Contact: caroline.campbell@mail.house.gov

Washington D.C. – House Foreign Affairs Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX) released the following statement in response to the Administration’s failure to meet the requirements of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. The law requires the Administration to determine and report to Congress within 120 days whether a foreign person is responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of human rights.

Lead Republican McCaul: “I am deeply troubled by the letter I received from the Administration regarding the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

“The letter does not meet the requirements of the “Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act”, which were invoked by letters from the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate foreign policy committees last October....

https://republicans-foreignaffairs.house.gov/press-release/mccaul-statement-on-administrations-response-to-magnitsky-act/

Huh?
Title: Re: McCaul Statement on Administration’s Response to Magnitsky Act
Post by: TomSea on February 10, 2019, 03:20:36 pm
IOW, letting the Saudis and Crown Prince off the hook.(?)

I can see how that statement might not be easy to understand... in my interpretation, McCaul is saying the Khashoggi act needs to be investigated.

Quote
Jamal Khashoggi murder: Trump refuses Congress demand for report

The Trump administration has refused to respond to a request from Congress to provide a report determining who killed the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Senators wrote in October demanding the murder be investigated and that the White House give more information.

An administration official said the president was within his rights to decline to act.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47182567 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47182567)

I will say, I agree with the Representative.  That's just me.

Quote
The Magnitsky Act, formally known as the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, is a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2012, intending to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009.

Since 2016 the bill, which applies globally, authorizes the US government to sanction who it sees as human rights offenders, freezing their assets, and ban them from entering the U.S.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnitsky_Act (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnitsky_Act)

So, now, I think it can apply to everyone, not just the Russians per above.

Title: Re: McCaul Statement on Administration’s Response to Magnitsky Act
Post by: TomSea on February 10, 2019, 08:25:31 pm
I would add in, if real, real process is being made in the war against terror and reform of Islam in Saudi Arabia which is influential then, in turn on the rest of the world,  perhaps the administration has a point.  After all, Netanyahu himself wanted us to go easy on the Saudis.... maybe the Crown Prince has been aiding reform greatly.

Furthermore, the Saudis have denied the Prince had any involvement,  I've read it in https://english.alarabiya.net/ (https://english.alarabiya.net/)  and http://www.arabnews.com/ (http://www.arabnews.com/) in the last day. If one is curious, maybe one can look for those stories.

Title: Re: McCaul Statement on Administration’s Response to Magnitsky Act
Post by: Sanguine on February 10, 2019, 08:46:15 pm
Quote
The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Pub. L. 114-328, Subtitle F) (the “Act”), enacted on December 23, 2016, authorizes the President to impose financial sanctions and visa restrictions on foreign persons in response to certain human rights violations and acts of corruption....

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/06/20/2017-12791/global-magnitsky-human-rights-accountability-act-report (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/06/20/2017-12791/global-magnitsky-human-rights-accountability-act-report)

It doesn't require the President to do so.
Title: Re: McCaul Statement on Administration’s Response to Magnitsky Act
Post by: truth_seeker on February 10, 2019, 09:10:11 pm
Saudi Crown Prince done bad.

We already know this. He may or may not be force out, or constrained now.

Why knuckle under to every thing which can be construed against Trump, and against America, and against our allies?

Why not wait things out for a while longer?