Contact: Caroline Rabbitt (202)224-2353

Washington, D.C.- Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on reports that a U.S. Attorney's office is investigating Russia's state-sponsored Olympic doping scheme:

"I welcome reports that a U.S. Attorney's office is investigating Russia's state-sponsored Olympic doping scheme. But the Department of Justice should not stop there. The Russian economy under Vladimir Putin practically runs on official and semi-official corruption, and it all should be exposed and prosecuted for the world and every Russian citizen to see. Russia is scheduled to host the World Cup in two years, a winning bid that was almost certainly greased with bribes and kickbacks. There is likely similar wrongdoing in Russia's bids to host the Olympics, its appointments to international chess associations, its awarding of government contracts, and in a rash of other ventures. The long arm of U.S. law has begun to grasp for Vladimir Putin-it should be a long time before it lets go."