https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/7/28/1685010/-Republican-Cornyn-gets-schooled-in-how-a-kleptocracy-works-and-it-sounds-a-lot-like-the-GOP
"When Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn isn’t trying his hand at playing president, he’s trying to steal away your health insurance for big tax breaks for the rich. Almost like the way an oligarchy works … or a kleptocracy. Anythewhos, Sen. Cornyn is trying his most republicany-ist to make the connections between the Putin regime and our current president seem … silly? In front of Sen. Cornyn on Thursday, was CEO of Hermitage Capital Management William Browder. Browder has testified very clearly that Putin wants there to be an end to the Magnitsky Act, and most specifically to the sanctions and financial consequences in the act, as they pertain to Putin's vast financial network. Cornyn’s job was to say, hey the president can only do so much—why would Vladimir Putin think he can get rid of a law with just a president? You might want to stay seated Johnny, because here comes something called “psychology.” Browder: Absolutely. You have really brought up a hugely important point,especially as it relates to Russia or any kleptocratic regime. That in a kleptocracy, like Russia and other countries, the way that the world works is that the president of that country allows certain people to get rich, and he often gets a share of the wealth. Of those people. And then he can rely on those people to do the state’s bidding in situations where it may not be appropriate or they may not want to show the government's face. In Russia it’s an entirely informal system like that and there is absolute documentary evidence of people who have gotten rich through Vladimir Putin, who have then done lots of foreign policy work—not just in America but also all over the world—in order to further Putin's agenda, which is adverse to decency and democracy and liberal thought. Sounds a lot like an entire wing of the Republican Party these days."
