--- description: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) suggested Exxon Mobil is 'crazy' after it was reported that the oil giant is looking to resume projects in Russia title: John McCain: Exxon Is 'Crazy' to Want to Drill for Oil in Russia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc00e1bf19c94fe1f/6988a43bf887dc4961e973e0/john-mccain4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Senate](/tag/senate/) ## Senate Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # John McCain: Exxon Is 'Crazy' to Want to Drill for Oil in Russia by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2017 10:19 PM CUT  John McCain speaking during an African American veterans and business leaders roundtable event ahead of the U.S. Senate election in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., on Aug. 12, 2016. John McCain speaking during an African American veterans and business leaders roundtable event ahead of the U.S. Senate election in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., on Aug. 12, 2016.Patrick T. Fallon—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Aric Jenkins](/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 19, 2017 10:19 PM CUT Sen. [John McCain](http://time.com/4732660/john-mccain-donald-trump-syria/ "undefined") (R-Ariz.) suggested Exxon Mobil is “crazy” in response to a report that the oil giant is seeking a waiver to resume projects in [Russia](http://time.com/4738126/tillerson-putin-meeting-us-russia-relations/ "undefined"). “Are they crazy?” McCain tweeted Wednesday with a link to the Wall Street _Journal_‘s [report](https://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-seeks-u-s-waiver-to-work-in-russia-despite-sanctions-1492620677?mg=id-wsj "undefined"). In March, McCain said the investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election needs to be handled by a “special committee,” criticizing Congress’ management of the case up to that point.”It’s a bizarre situation,” McCain [said](http://time.com/4710342/john-mccain-russian-investigation-special-committee/ "undefined"). “I think that this back and forth and what the American people have found so far is that no longer does Congress have the credibility to handle this alone.” > [](https://twitter.com/SenJohnMcCain/status/854789080625885186) Exxon recently applied to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for a waiver in order to continue its joint venture with Russian oil company PAO Rosneft, sources told the _Journal_. Exxon has been trying to gain access to the region around the Black Sea since 2015, according to the report. Exxon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4747426/john-mccain-exxon-oil-russia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4747426/john-mccain-exxon-oil-russia/"},"headline":"John McCain: Exxon Is 'Crazy' to Want to Drill for Oil in Russia","datePublished":"2017-04-19T22:19:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:30:32.628Z","description":"The senator didn't mince words on Twitter","url":"https://time.com/4747426/john-mccain-exxon-oil-russia/","keywords":["Senate","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc00e1bf19c94fe1f/6988a43bf887dc4961e973e0/john-mccain4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aric Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc00e1bf19c94fe1f/6988a43bf887dc4961e973e0/john-mccain4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Senator John McCain Makes Speaks At An African American Roundtable","caption":"John McCain speaking during an African American veterans and business leaders roundtable event ahead of the U.S. Senate election in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., on Aug. 12, 2016.","creditText":"Patrick T. 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