Ranking Member Raskin Puts Oil Industry On Notice: Anyone Helping Trump and Putin Evade America’s Ban on Russian Oil Could Face Criminal Penalties
Raskin Warns Oil Industry Groups That Trump Cannot Override Federal Law to Bankroll Putin’s War Machine—and Companies Importing Russian Diesel Are Violating the Law
Washington, D.C. (October 26, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, put the American Petroleum Institute (API), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and their members on notice that President Trump’s attempt to help Russia evade the federal ban on Russian diesel imports cannot shield companies from civil and criminal liability. In a letter to API President and CEO Mike Sommers, U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark, and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President and CEO Chet Thompson, Ranking Member Raskin warned that companies participating in Trump’s scheme to throw Vladimir Putin’s war machine a lifeline could face penalties, including up to $1 million in criminal fines and 20 years in prison.
Trump’s deal to purchase nearly 2 million tons of Russian diesel comes as Russia continues its bloody and illegal war against Ukraine and supplies weapons to Iran that are being used to kill American service members. Ranking Member Raskin warned that the Administration’s purported sanctions relief cannot override Congress’s statutory prohibition on Russian energy imports.
“Even as Russia actively supplies weapons to Iran that are being used to kill American service members, President Trump has been stretching American law beyond the breaking point to throw a lifeline to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his imperialist war machine attacking the people of Ukraine,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin. “Your members are now on notice that taking part in any effort to help President Putin hawk Russian diesel in the U.S. is a clear and dangerous violation of federal law. Those who choose to act in this way proceed at their own risk and will undoubtedly be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, whether in this Administration—or the next.”
In 2022, Congress passed the bipartisan Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, codifying President Biden’s ban on Russian energy imports. Congress required the President to consult with lawmakers and certify that Russia has met specific conditions—including an agreement accepted by Ukraine’s freely elected government to withdraw Russian forces and cease hostilities—before ending the prohibition. Trump failed to follow those legally mandated procedures before his Administration issued Office of Foreign Assets Control General License No. 135.
The Administration’s license provides no shield from civil and criminal liability for companies that help Putin sell Russian diesel in the United States. Violations can carry civil penalties of up to twice the value of the transaction and criminal penalties of up to $1 million and 20 years in prison. The 10-year statute of limitations means companies that participate in Trump’s unlawful scheme will remain exposed to liability long after he leaves office.
Shockingly, Trump announced his Russian diesel deal just three weeks after signing the bipartisan Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which strengthened and increased economic measures against Russia. He then issued an October 16 executive orderwaiving a broad range of the new law’s sanctions and restrictions. Yet even Trump’s own order recognizes that the existing Russian diesel embargo remains in effect.\
Click here to read the letter.