[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 16 (Friday, January 25, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      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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