Trump's bizarre idea of politics is the only reason this dialogue exists.
The sanctions (click here) were part of legislation that was named after Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died in July.
...Digging into the details, (click here) however, reveals Trump’s diesel deal to be anything but. As a legal matter, it’s not clear that Trump’s actions can actually clear the way for U.S. imports of Russian diesel fuel as he claims. And while he can ease U.S. restrictions on the global market for Russian diesel fuel, a number of other factors make it unlikely that doing so will meaningfully impact prevailing prices. Instead, the deal’s most serious consequences will likely be felt in Ukraine, as Putin appears to have persuaded Trump that Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s diesel fuel industry—a major contributor to its recent military success—are pushing up global energy prices and thus hurting Trump’s domestic political prospects.
The operative legal instrument behind the diesel deal is General License No. 135 (illegal permit click here), which the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued on Oct. 9, shortly after Trump’s Truth Social post. It exempts “all transactions … related to the sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States[,]” from two long-standing sets of Russia-related U.S. economic sanctions: the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations codified at 31 C.F.R. part 587, which were promulgated around the 2022 invasion of Ukraine; and the Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions Regulations codified at 31 C.F.R. part 589, which were promulgated following Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea. Both are the products of executive orders issued by Trump and his White House predecessors, using the authority the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) provides to the president....
The emergency order Trump rolled out August 26, 2026 had to do with increasing the domestic production of infrastructure responsible for producing electricity. If Bessent is using this as an excuse to produce a permit than it is very illegal, because the executive order specifically attacks any and all equipment imported from foreign countries that can contain, basically spy capacity. So, the idea Trump is actually importing Russian oil is contrary to his own policies.
Trump cannot undo legislation that prohibits business with our enemies. Someone needs to brief Donald about the FACT Russia is the enemy of the USA. Russia was warned in 2014 if it continued to plague Ukraine with incursions and invasions there would be consequences. THAT IS POLICY. It is policy that removed Russia from the G8. There are treaties Bessent is in violation of in issuing permits to USA enemies. He cannot simply take orders unilaterally from Trump and be his "yes, man" no matter how much he desires it.
Executive Order 14421 (click here)
...Section 1. National Emergency. As President of the United States, my highest duty is protecting the national security, foreign policy, and economy of this country. Certain foreign actors are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in the United States bulk-power system, which provides the electricity that supports our national defense, vital emergency services, critical infrastructure, and economy. During my first term, I found that the bulk-power system could be a target of those seeking to commit malicious acts against the United States, including malicious cyber activities, because of the significant risks that a successful attack would have on our economy, human health and safety, and national defense. Since my first term, the threat to the United States regarding foreign supply of bulk-power system electric equipment has become even more acute: The rapid growth of advanced manufacturing, data centers, artificial intelligence, and defense production has increased the Nation’s dependence on abundant, reliable electricity and magnified the consequences of a successful attack or supply disruption on the bulk-power system....
Some other laws that can be insulted by that permit are “Foreign Extortion Prevention Act”. and the "Logan Act" comes to mind.
Provision Two of "The Hague Summit Declaration"...
...United in the face of profound security threats and challenges, (click here) in particular the long- term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security and the persistent threat of terrorism, Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defence-and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations, in accordance with Article 3 of the Washington Treaty. Our investments will ensure we have the forces, capabilities, resources, infrastructure, warfighting readiness, and resilience needed to deter and defend in line with our three core tasks of deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security....
This was a bipartisan resolution to validate the NATO Treaty and the change in percent contribution to the alliance, a change to 5 percent GDP from 2 percent. This is a validation of the alliance and it's importance to the USA.
Russia is a known enemy of NATO and the USA.
Bessent is in violation of every treaty between the USA and Europe, including trade agreements as they are effected by the national security of all countries involved.
End of discussion.
Celebrating the June 2025 North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit in the Hague, the Netherlands, and reaffirming priorities pertaining to transatlantic security and our commitment to NATO....
...Whereas the Hague Summit will take place during the fourth year of the Russian Federation’s unprovoked, illegal, full-scale war against Ukraine;
Whereas, following calls from the United States Government to increase defense spending among European Allies, the Hague Summit is expected to revise NATO Allies’ defense spending pledge from 2 percent of each country's gross domestic product that was agreed to through the 2014 Wales Summit Declaration, to a reported target of 5 percent of each country's gross domestic product, which includes a commitment to spend 1.5 percent of each country's gross domestic product on investments in defense-related infrastructure and capabilities;
Whereas Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, done at Washington April 4, 1949—
(1) establishes NATO’s open-door policy; and
(2) permits the admission of any European country whose government is willing and able to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area and assume the requirements and responsibilities of membership;...
