"In short, yes, and this is one of the things we've asked our own lawyers to look at, which is what authorities would be needed potentially to seize those assets, but not only to seize them, but to use them," Blinken said during testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee when asked whether state assets could be targeted like private ones.
His comments come as the Justice Department said it would support legislation allowing the US government to use funds obtained from seized Russian assets to go directly to Ukraine. Earlier, the idea of such legislation was rejected by US legislators.
The Washington Post reported that the bill was ditched due to the criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, which warned it could potentially violate constitutional due-process protections, given that there would be no mechanism for those dispossessed under the law to challenge it in court.
Last month, the United States announced the creation of what it dubbed "Task Force KleptoCapture" that would pursue "corrupt Russian oligarchs" and those who violate Western sanctions. After Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine with a goal to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" the country, the West slapped a slew of harsh anti-Russian sanctions, targeting its financial sector, businesses, media and many other areas.