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[Page S681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Merkley):
S. 230. A bill to require a report on foreign nationals who flee from
the United States while awaiting trial or sentencing for a criminal
offense committed in the United States, to establish a list of
countries who have assisted or facilitated with such departures, to
penalize parties connected to such departures, and to amend the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to prohibit the exclusion from gross
income from certain investments made by foreign governments who are
identified on such list; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Preserving
American Justice Act to ensure that foreign governments face serious
consequences if they assist their citizens to escape legal
accountability in the United States.
Recently, Oregon's largest newspaper, The Oregonian, uncovered that
five Saudi nationals with criminal charges departed the Nation before
facing justice. These men were arrested for serious crimes including
vehicular murder of an innocent teenager, sexual assault, rape, and
child pornography. According to news reports, U.S. government officials
believe the Saudi government helped these five men with actions ranging
from posting bail to facilitating their escape from the United States.
These reports claiming the Saudi government is whisking away criminals
facing justice in Oregon show a shocking disdain for our Nation's
criminal justice system. Given the disturbing similarities in these
five cases, a thorough investigation is essential to better understand
the involvement of the Saudi government.
When anyone commits a crime in the United States, they must be held
accountable. The Trump administration has failed to explain what, if
anything, it is doing to ensure these men face American justice. That
failure is completely unacceptable. Foreign governments cannot
disregard our laws and abuse diplomatic privileges by helping criminals
escape. No one is above the law, and I am committed to making sure the
Saudi government understands that it cannot behave this way here in
Oregon or anywhere in the United States.
The legislation I introduced today would direct the Department of
Justice to investigate these five cases and bring to light the
involvement of the Saudi government. If the Department of Justice
concludes that the Saudi government was involved, then my bill would
bar Saudi Arabia's leaders from the United States until their
government returns the suspects who have fled. The legislation would
also create a major tax penalty on governments and sovereign wealth
funds for any country that help its citizens escape American justice.
More broadly, my legislation would help Americans understand how
widespread this practice is, direct the Department of Justice to
maintain a list of any foreign governments that help their citizens
evade American justice, and create tough consequences for those
governments and their leaders.
I believe that my colleagues who talk about ``putting America First''
would agree that foreign governments cannot undermine American laws.
I'm all for doing more to protecting Americans from real threats and
ensuring that the victims of these crimes get the justice they deserve
in an American court of law. So I urge my colleagues to join me in
supporting measures that would hold foreign governments accountable.
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