MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The US Congress will exceed its constitutional powers if it passes a bill on the transfer of confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine because by doing so it will authorize officials to commit criminal offenses, Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.

He made the statement when commenting on the recent decision of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support the bill.

"In my view, if the bill is passed, the US Congress will clearly exceed its constitutional powers by authorizing criminal, illegal actions by the executive branch, which will also violate US international obligations (without the possibility of review by the judicial branch). And this was all supported by the senators on the committee, with the exception of Rand Paul, a Republican, who rightly accused the US Congress of maintaining Cold War thinking and unwillingness to mend relations with Russia," Kosachev said on Telegram.