Critics say US hasn’t done enough to punish alleged election meddling
The United States’ announcement of sanctions on Russian individuals and entities for alleged US election meddling has aroused mixed reactions in Washington and beyond, with some hawks on Capitol Hill calling for more action, while Moscow said it is preparing retaliation.
The US Treasury Department on Thursday announced its decision to sanction five entities and 19 individuals for alleged interference with the 2016 US presidential elections and engaging in “malicious” cyberattacks. Of the individuals, 13 had been indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller.
“The Administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity, including their attempted interference in US elections, destructive cyberattacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
“These targeted sanctions are a part of a broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from Russia,” Mnuchin said in a statement.
It said further sanctions were coming and for the first time blamed Moscow for cyberattacks stretching back at least two years that targeted the US power grid, including nuclear facilities, Reuters said.
The White House said President Donald Trump has been “extremely tough on Russia” during his time in office. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Russia will need to “decide if they want to be a good actor or a bad actor”.
“We’re going to be tough on Russia until they decide to change their behavior,” Sanders was quoted by Associated Press.
At the same time, she left open the possibility of better US-Russia cooperation, arguing that “if we can work together to combat world threats on things like North Korea, then we should”.
The Kremlin denies interfering, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov saying Moscow has already started working on retaliatory measures against the US sanctions.
“We have already started working on our reciprocal measures,” he said without hinting when they might follow, the Russian news agency TASS reported on Thursday. “I believe further demonstrative, tough actions (on the part of the US) are possible. We are ready for them.”
Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce said in a statement: “Today’s action, using authority provided by Congress, is an important step by the administration. But more must be done.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on his Twitter account that he supported the sanctions announced by the Treasury Department, but believes “even more must be done”.
Leading Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff said: “Treasury will finally punish Russian individuals who, for the most part, were already indicted or subject to sanctions. This from the President who said he was tougher on Russia than Obama. These sanctions will send a message to Russia, just not the one we want to send.”