The United States Justice Department disbanded 2 key task forces concentrated on enforcing sanctions versus Russian oligarchs and examining foreign impact, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a memo that newly designated Attorney General Pam Bondi sent out to staff.The memo, released on Wednesday, stated the department would close down Task Force KleptoCapture, which was produced under the Biden administration in response to Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Bondi also ordered the closure of the Foreign Influence Task Force, which examined offenses of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
This policy needs a basic modification in state of mind and technique, Bondi wrote in the memo, adding that resources would now be rerouted toward fighting drug cartels.Task Force KleptoCapture was responsible for seizing properties of Kremlin-linked oligarchs and prosecuting people accused of assisting them evade sanctions.
The unit brought criminal charges versus several high-profile figures, consisting of aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and media tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev.Andrew Adams, the task forces very first leader, told Reuters that while the move was unlikely to activate a surge of Russian cash into the United States , it would cause a sharp decrease in the rate of charges that target facilitators that specify to Russia.Since taking office in January, United States President Donald Trumphas made combating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the United States a top priority for his administration.
The White House designated numerous drug cartels as terrorist organizations last month.