WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement:

"Granting Exxon Mobil a waiver of Russia sanctions would play into Vladimir Putin's hands and deepen concerns about the Trump Administration's cozy ties with Moscow. The Treasury Department must reject it without hesitation.

"Not only has Vladimir Putin attacked our democratic process, he is bolstering the Assad regime, waging an illegal war in Europe, and suppressing the rights of the Russian people. The last thing the United States should be doing is clearing the way for lucrative new business opportunities for Putin and his cronies. At the same time, the fact that the Secretary of State's longtime private-sector home is asking for this special treatment casts a cloud of ethical concerns over the entire landscape. His pledge to recuse himself from all questions related to Exxon Mobil certainly should apply to this.

"This is a no-brainer. The Administration's answer to Exxon Mobil should be an unequivocal no."

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