Scoop: New records obtained by The Washington Post show how US taxpayers have spent $30 million maintaining a Russian oligarch’s yacht
Expenditures include: flights, groceries, specialized toilet brushes, docking fees and more
Effort has yielded just $6 million for Ukraine
Expenditures include: flights, groceries, specialized toilet brushes, docking fees and more
Effort has yielded just $6 million for Ukraine
This info was HARD to get
After the government denied our requests, we filed a Freedom of Information Act
When there was no reply, The Washington Post filed a lawsuit against DOJ
The Post's lawyers forced disclosure of +1,300 pages thus far
washingtonpost.com/business/inter…
After the government denied our requests, we filed a Freedom of Information Act
When there was no reply, The Washington Post filed a lawsuit against DOJ
The Post's lawyers forced disclosure of +1,300 pages thus far
washingtonpost.com/business/inter…
In terms of this story more narrowly, Biden promised in 2022 to "take" Russian oligarch assets and transfer them to Ukraine
The problem has been that you can't legally just grab these assets and sell them right away -- in this case, e.g., another Russian billionaire has claimed that he is the true owner of the Amadea yacht. That has stopped the sale & the courts haven't sided with the U.S. yet.
In the meantime, taxpayers have to pay to maintain the vessel. But there's a chance they lose the case and the expenditures will have been for nothing.
The problem has been that you can't legally just grab these assets and sell them right away -- in this case, e.g., another Russian billionaire has claimed that he is the true owner of the Amadea yacht. That has stopped the sale & the courts haven't sided with the U.S. yet.
In the meantime, taxpayers have to pay to maintain the vessel. But there's a chance they lose the case and the expenditures will have been for nothing.
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