Sen. Wyden places hold on Treasury Dept. nominee until release of Russia-Trump info
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, announced a hold on the nomination of Sigal Mandelker to the position of Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence on Thursday.
Wyden said the hold will stay in place until the Treasury Department provides "any information that relates to financial connections between Russia and President Trump and his associates," to the Senate Intelligence Committee and Senate Finance Committee. Wyden is on both committees.
"I have stated repeatedly that we have to follow the money if we are going to get to the bottom of how Russia has attacked our democracy," Wyden said in a statement.
Wyden's hold would effectively put a halt on Mandelker's nomination process. However, holds expire at the end of a Congress.
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner also said that he will not support Mandelker until the administration provides the information Wyden requested.
In addition, Warner announced that the Committee had made a request to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is responsible for sharing intelligence in order to combat illicit financial behavior.
