U.S. Senate staffer passes sniper gear to Ukraine, faces investigation - NYT
Kyiv • UNN
A senior U.S. Senate staffer is under investigation for allegedly providing $30,000 worth of sniper equipment to Ukrainian troops and frequently traveling near combat zones against instructions.
A senior U.S. Senate staffer is under investigation by Congress for frequent trips to combat zones in Ukraine and for allegedly providing $30,000 worth of sniper equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported by The New York Times, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that Kyle Parker is a senior advisor to the Senate Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known as the Helsinki Commission, which actively supports Ukraine.
A confidential report by the commission's director and general counsel, seen by The New York Times, said the equipment transfer could make Parker an unregistered foreign agent. It said that Parker traveled along the Ukrainian front lines wearing camouflage and Ukrainian military insignia and hired a Ukrainian official to receive a U.S. government scholarship, despite objections from congressional ethics officials and security officials,
The report also said that he may have been "voluntarily or involuntarily targeted and exploited by foreign intelligence" and cited unspecified "counterintelligence issues" that should be referred to the FBI.
In turn, Mr. Parker's representative said he had done nothing wrong. He said that Parker was the target of a "retaliation campaign" for accusations of misconduct against the authors of the report.
Recall
The United States has not yet approved the $60 billion aid package that Ukraine desperately needs. House Speaker Mike Johnson did not put the bill to a vote and announced a recess until the end of February.
Instead, Biden urges the House of Representatives to pass a bipartisan bill to provide additional aid to Ukraine.
