US Senate employee Kyle Parker unofficially handed over $30,000 worth of sniper gear to Ukraine. Now, he feaces investigation.
What is known about the sniper gear's unofficial transfer to Ukraine from the US Senate advisor
A high-ranking advisor of the US Senate is under investigation by Congress in connection with his frequent trips to war zones in Ukraine and the provision, he says, of $30,000 worth of sniper equipment for Ukraine's military.
Kyle Parker is the Senior Senate Advisor to the US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission. The commission is chaired by members of Congress and staffed by assistant members of Congress. It influences issues of democracy and security and actively supports Ukraine.
A confidential report by the commission's director and general counsel said the transfer of equipment could make Parker an unregistered foreign agent. It alleges that Parker travelled to the front line in Ukraine wearing camouflage and Ukrainian military insignia and recruited a Ukrainian official for a US government scholarship, despite the objections of congressional ethics and security officials.
In addition, the report raised the possibility that he had "been deliberately or unwittingly targeted and used by foreign intelligence". It raised unspecified "counterintelligence questions" to be forwarded to the FBI.
A representative for Mr Parker said he had done nothing wrong. He said Parker was the target of a "campaign of retribution" for allegations of wrongdoing against the report's authors.
What is known about the US aid delay?
On February 13, the US Senate approved a bill with aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan for $95 billion. In particular, more than $60 billion has been earmarked for Ukraine. For the bill to enter into force, it must be approved by the US House of Representatives and signed by President Joe Biden.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson opposed such an initiative. In turn, President Joe Biden urged the House of Representatives to urgently approve the bill.
However, the US House of Representatives adjourned until February 28, thus postponing consideration of aid to Ukraine.
