Trump Administration Disbands Task Force Targeting Russian Oligarchs

In early February 2025, the Justice Department under newly installed Attorney General Pam Bondi disbanded Task Force KleptoCapture, the Biden-era unit created to trace and seize assets belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The decision, detailed in a memo issued on Bondi's first day, redirected the task force's resources toward combating drug cartels and international gangs. The DOJ also ended the separate Foreign Influence Task Force, which had tracked disinformation campaigns since Trump's first term.

The task forces had been central to the U.S. government's effort to pressure Kremlin-linked elites through asset freezes and forfeiture actions, work that required sustained, specialized financial investigation.

Supporters described the move as a reallocation of resources toward higher domestic priorities. Critics said it effectively hollowed out enforcement of existing sanctions against wealthy Russian nationals, since the sanctions themselves remained on the books but the dedicated expertise needed to pursue complex cases had been eliminated, making evasion easier for well-resourced targets.