US Congress wants to check if Orthodox churches in America are connected to Russian special services
Kyiv • UNN
A group of Republican congressmen appealed to the US Attorney General with a request to check the possible use of Orthodox communities in the US by Russian special services. This is related to the lobbying activities of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad.
A group of Republican congressmen in the House of Representatives appealed to Attorney General Pam Bondi to check whether Russian special services could have used Orthodox communities in the United States, connected with Moscow, for their own purposes. This is reported by the publication The Hill with reference to the appeal initiated by Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, reports UNN.
It became known that the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) is actively seeking to expand its political influence in the United States, in particular by organizing an event scheduled for November 18, which is aimed at lobbying members of Congress and their employees.
Lawmakers draw attention to the fact that this week lobbyists and clergy associated with the Russian Orthodox Church are holding a series of meetings in Washington - both in Congress and with representatives of the Trump administration - as part of an event that has a pro-Russian character.
Such actions, the Republicans emphasize, raise "serious suspicions" that ROCOR or other church structures of Russian jurisdiction "may serve as tools for intelligence gathering or foreign influence operations."
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