Cardin and Putin

Fredrick News Post

Some of the world’s most powerful leaders come to Frederick County’s doorstep today, with the exception of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It’s strange to think that one man who may have contributed to Putin’s decision to blow off the other seven G-8 countries was sitting in the conference room at The Frederick News-Post on Monday. It was a moment of odd synchronicity

At that editorial board meeting, we wondered aloud if U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin’s authorship and support of the Magnitsky Bill might not have played a part in the Russian leader’s decision.

Foreign-policy analysts have speculated any number of reasons for Putin’s decision, of course. But the Magnitsky Bill is a sore point in Russia-U.S. relations, according a May 10 article in The New York Times.

The bill is named for Sergei Leonidovich Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who worked to uncover tax fraud by Russian government officials. Magnitsky was imprisoned for almost a year and suffered abuses while behind bars that led to his death in 2009.

If enacted, his namesake legislation would deny visas to foreign officials accused of human rights violations, as well as freeze any assets they hold in the U.S.

The Obama administration has opposed the bill, but not hard enough for the Russians, according to the Times.

However, the Magnitsky Bill has attracted wide bipartisan support, with the likes of Sens. John McCain, Joe Lieberman and John Kerry on board. Cardin is clearly passionate about it.

“We’re going to pass this bill,” he told us emphatically.

The administration has given up on its lobbying efforts, he said.

“They’re lobbying against it, but they know it’s gonna be passed,” Cardin said. “I think it’s going to be this type of a situation, that the administration will oppose it and then explain, particularly to the Russians … that it was that independent legislature that just happened to put that on there.”

We asked Cardin directly if he believed there was any connection between Putin’s no-show and his bill. “I don’t think so,” Cardin replied.

But overturning it is third on a list of foreign policy objectives Putin has put forward, Cardin said: “He’s gonna lose that one.”

The Magnitsky Bill may have played its part in persuading Putin to make a show of not attending the G-8, but to what extent, we’ll never know. The trade may be worthwhile, however. Russia’s human rights abuses should not stand, and this legislation will go some small way in urging countries that engage in such abuses to clean up their act. unshaven girls займ онлайн на карту без отказа https://www.zp-pdl.com zp-pdl.com hairy woman