California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused unnamed figures in the Trump administration of profiting from Moscow on Friday night, asking in a post on X who is being paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin and how much. The post came hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order putting on hold a sweeping Russia sanctions law he had signed himself less than a month earlier.
The Post
Newsom’s press office published the message on X at 9:24 PM on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. The full post read:
“OK. Someone has to be getting paid by Putin. Who? And how much?”
The post named no individual and offered no evidence of any payment.
Attached to the post was a report by The Associated Press on the suspension of the sanctions. The report said Trump signed an executive order on Friday placing the new sanctions package on hold and told Congress the pause was in the national interest. The decision came just two days before a deadline written into the law itself for its implementation, and it drew sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats.
What the Executive Order Does
The order, titled “Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026” and dated Oct. 16, invokes a provision of the law that lets the president waive sanctions, restrictions and duties if he certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest. Trump wrote that he had submitted such a certification, along with a report explaining its basis. The order waives the law’s duty provisions, its sanctions provision under section 102(d), and a long list of other sanctions provisions, including sections 102(a), 102(e) and 103 through 111.
The order also states that the waivers remain in effect until the president or the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Treasury Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative, determines that further action is appropriate. It adds that nothing in it affects sanctions already in place under earlier executive orders addressing Russia’s harmful foreign activities.
A Law Built to Starve Putin’s War Machine
The legislation is named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who died in July shortly after returning from Ukraine. It passed the Senate 86 to 11 in August and the House 262 to 159 on Sept. 16, and Trump signed it on Sept. 18. Its sponsors designed it to deprive Putin of the revenue financing Russia’s war against Ukraine. It targets Russia’s political leadership, financial institutions, energy sector and a shadow fleet of tankers used to move Russian oil, and it directs tariffs of up to 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
Democrats Say the Pause Helps Putin
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who co-drafted the bill, said Trump was turning his back on “the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and our European allies.” He added: “These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin.”
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., noted on social media that he and others had “warned” Trump might make such a move. Beyer called on Congress to “fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.” The White House did not immediately explain how pausing the sanctions served the national interest.
The Diesel Deal That Came First
The suspension followed another Russia-related move by one week. On Friday, Oct. 9, Trump announced on social media that he had struck a deal with Putin in a phone call. Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter,” with another 3 million tons to follow “within a short period of time.” Trump wrote that “Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.” He did not address the sanctions law or Russia’s war in the announcement.
Treasury Opens the Door to Russian Fuel
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control moved the same day. General License No. 135, signed by OFAC Director Bradley T. Smith and dated Oct. 9, authorizes transactions otherwise prohibited under two sets of Russia sanctions regulations when they relate to the sale, delivery, offloading or importation of Russian-origin diesel, including importation into the United States. The authorization runs through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 7, 2027. It does not authorize debits to accounts of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund or the Ministry of Finance at U.S. financial institutions.
Kyiv’s Reaction
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a lengthy online post that Russia would repay the diesel deal “with further terror and perfidy,” casting it as an investment that allows Moscow to prolong the war. Trump announced the deal while envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting Ukrainian officials about a proposal to end the war. Ukrainian military officials have also said this week that SpaceX abruptly limited Starlink service used by Ukrainian drone units, a claim that has added to tensions in Kyiv.
Midterm Pressure and a Graham Family Reckoning
The timing carries political weight. A poll published Oct. 1 found that Americans disapprove of the president’s handling of the Iran war and blame him for higher prices, and Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to near-historic lows. Republicans are trying to hold both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Trump’s diesel deal has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike, who say it will aid Russia’s war effort without making a difference to global fuel prices, which remain elevated mostly because of the war on Iran.
The sanctions had also become a campaign centerpiece for Sen. Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister, who was appointed to finish his term and is now running for the seat. She said after the signing, “I wish Lindsey were here to celebrate this historic day.” At a debate this week, she acknowledged it was the president’s purview how to implement the law: “It gives the president tools that he can use if he so chooses, to end the war through economic sanctions.”
A Pattern in the Trump-Putin Relationship
Trump’s posture toward Moscow has drawn scrutiny since his Aug. 15, 2025, summit with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, the first in-person meeting between the two since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The summit ended without a ceasefire. Afterward, Trump played down his earlier threats of “very severe” sanctions on Russia and said it was “really up to President Zelensky to get it done.”
Newsom’s Record on Russia and Ukraine
Newsom’s question follows years of public positions against Russia’s war. On March 4, 2022, days after the invasion, he signed an executive order directing California state agencies to ensure their contractors complied with sanctions imposed over Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. He also met Ukraine’s consul general in San Francisco, Dmytro Kushneruk, saying: “California stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian community in California – one of the largest in the country.” That week he sent a letter to the leaders of CalPERS, CalSTRS and the University of California retirement system asking them to restrict Russia’s access to new capital and investments by the state.
Relief Supplies and a Call to Business
On March 15, 2022, Newsom visited the state’s disaster logistics warehouse in Solano County to help pack emergency relief supplies for shipment to Ukraine. “California is united in our support for Ukraine,” he said, adding: “We’ll continue to support the brave people of Ukraine and reaffirm our commitment to fundamental rights and freedoms around the world.” His office urged California businesses and organizations to comply with sanctions on Russia, refrain from new investments and transactions there, and not transfer technology to Russian entities. His office said California companies had by then contributed more than $85 million to humanitarian groups working on the Ukraine crisis.
What Remains Unanswered
Newsom’s post asks two questions that no one in the administration has publicly answered. The executive order says the waivers are in the national interest and that a report explaining the basis went to Congress, but the White House has not publicly explained how. The waivers stay in effect until the president or the Secretary of State decides further action is appropriate, and the Treasury license for Russian diesel runs into April 2027. Ukrainian officials say the combination has handed Moscow a lifeline while the war continues.