Regarding the Feb. 7 editorial “Mr. Trump’s blind spot”:

President Trump may have a blind spot on Russia, but we should all keep an eye on any movement to repeal or modify the Magnitsky Act, formally known as the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, and how or whether Mr. Trump or Secretary of State Rex Tillerson apply Magnitsky provisions to Russian officials.

The Magnitsky Act passed Congress on a bipartisan vote in October 2012 and was signed by President Barack Obama. It seeks to hold Russian officials accountable for deaths like those the editorial board catalogued by prohibiting Russian officials’ entrance into the United States and their use of the U.S. banking system. The Putin regime retaliated by disallowing the adoption of Russian children by Americans and banning some U.S. officials from traveling to Russia. Many of those Russians affected by the law are oligarchs and friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would like to see the Magnitsky Act repealed. Congress should resist any attempts to get rid of or weaken the Magnitsky Act and ensure that the Trump administration applies sanctions that reaffirm the U.S. role as the world’s leader in human rights.

Thomas Hicks, Reston