Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded a Biden-era initiative targeting Russian oligarchs as well as another designed to combat foreign influence.
Task Force KleptoCapture was created in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, coordinating a global effort to seize yachts and what President Biden referred to as “ill-begotten gains” of Russian oligarchs.
Bondi also disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force, an initiative created under the first Trump administration designed to battle foreign influence in elections.
The task force was designed to battle growing “foreign malign influence efforts” seeking to flood U.S. elections with disinformation.
In doing so, Bondi pushed to narrow charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) to “instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.”
According to Bondi, the move “end[s] risks of further weaponization and abuses of prosecutorial discretion,” while freeing the department to “address more pressing priorities.”
Combined, the two directives represent a scaling back of Justice Department efforts to target Russian interference.
Kleptocapture seized millions in Russian yachts and other properties held outside of Russia.
Last year the Justice Department also brought FARA violations against two employees of RT, formerly Russia Today, after they partnered with a U.S. media company to pay influencers to promote Russian narratives.
