Dems: Extradite charged Russians

Leaders react after Putin blames Jews, other minorities.

WASHINGTON — Top Democratic leaders in the House and Senate implored President Donald Trump on Monday to employ “all resources available” to extradite 13 Russians charged last month with subverting the 2016 presidential election after Russia’s president blamed Jews and other minorities for the attack.

“Ensuring these Russian nationals stand trial in the United States is imperative for deterring Russia from future attacks on our democracy and would be a signal to those who seek to meddle with our election that such actions are not without consequences,” wrote Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the top Democrat in his chamber, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the top Democrat in the House.

They were joined by the top Democrats on the chambers’ respective judiciary committees, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.

The Democrats’ letter effectively came in response to comments by President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who told NBC News in an interview that aired in recent days that he “couldn’t care less” if Russians had attempted to meddle in the election and said he would never extradite those charged to the United States to stand trial.

“Maybe they are not even Russians, but Ukrainians, Tatars or Jews, but with Russian citizenship,” he said. “Even that needs to be checked. Maybe they have dual citizenship. Or maybe a green card. Maybe it was the Americans who paid them for this work. How do you know? I don’t know either.”

The Democratic leaders said that “While Putin’s stance is not surprising, it is also simply unacceptable.”

The letter goes on to outline several steps that the Justice and State departments could take to try to force their extradition, such as pressing Interpol to issue what is effectively an international arrest warrant and using existing diplomatic channels, including raising the issue directly with Putin.

An Interpol notice “can severely restrict a fugitive’s ability to live and travel overseas,” they wrote.

The Justice Department charged the 13 Russians, along with three Russian companies, in February for their roles in carrying out a complex and well-funded campaign to use the social media feeds of Americans to sow discord in the U.S. political process and aid Trump’s candidacy. Court papers signed by Robert Mueller, the special counsel conducting the investigation, laid out the scheme in vivid detail and included messages exchanged by the conspirators.

The indictment of the Russian nationals does not directly say that the Russian government sponsored the election interference campaign, but top U.S. intelligence officials have publicly said that Putin directed and oversaw it.

Putin flatly denied that conclusion in his interview with NBC. “Why have you decided the Russian authorities, myself included, gave anybody permission to do this?” he asked.

The issue is a fraught one for Trump. He has repeatedly called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt” and views U.S. conclusions about Russian meddling as a threat to his legitimacy as president. Democrats and some Republicans have blasted him for not responding to the Russian effort more aggressively.