Six Members Of Congress Have Financial Stake In Russian Sanctions....this can't be good.

[a kennedy]

Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson, another foreign affairs committee member, also holds a significant interest in Lukoil, having reported owning between $500,000 and $1 million in Lukoil stock in 2012, the most recent year for which full disclosure reports are available. This past January, Grayson reported selling between $250,001 and $500,000 of the stock, but his office would not discuss how much he still owns. Like McCaul, Grayson regularly appears on the list of the wealthiest members of Congress.

and North Carolina Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan.....

Among the senators who backed further sanctions on Monday was another wealthy member, North Carolina Democrat Sen. Kay Hagan, whose net worth in 2013 was reported to be at least $8 million. Hagan owns between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of stock in Mobile Telesystems, the Russian cell phone behemoth. The senator's office did not immediately answer questions from HuffPost about whether she would be willing to sell the stock, but told HuffPost they were looking into the matter.

Hagan's investment in a cell phone company isn't nearly as risky, however, as Kentucky Republican Rep. Hal Rogers' investment in the Russian state-controlled oil company Gazprom. According to his disclosure reports, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has bought and sold Gazprom stock at least twice during the past two years. As Russia's largest and most visible company, Gazprom is at a particularly high risk for any increased sanctions.

UPDATE: 1:56 p.m. -- Hagan's office offered the following explanation for the holdings mentioned in her financial disclosure:

This is a spousal asset that Senator Hagan has no control over. The stock is part of a trust in which Senator Hagan's husband has a partial stake, and he does not control its day to day transactions. Additionally, the trust is listed as "proportional income interest only" which means Senator Hagan's husband does not actually own the assets, and as you can see, the income it generated was between $0-$201, which is far less than the listed value of $1,001-$15,000. Senator Hagan is also supportive of the bill being considered by the Senate this week that would aid Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/25/russia-congress-investmen_n_5027322.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

[lumpy]

1. TS