White House says Trump will accept sanctions bill
WASHINGTON — The White House indicated Sunday that President Trump would accept new legislation curtailing his authority to lift sanctions on Russia on his own, a striking turnaround after a broad revolt by lawmakers of both parties who distrusted his friendly approach to Moscow and sought to tie his hands.
If it passes, as now seems likely, the measure will be the first time that Congress, with both houses controlled by fellow Republicans, has forced its will on Trump on a major policy matter. That it comes on an issue as fraught as Russia illustrates how investigations into possible collusion between Moscow and Trump’s team during last year’s election have cost him politically.
Trump found himself in a no-win position, as lawmakers eager to punish Russia for its interference in the election and its aggression toward its neighbors dispensed with the usual partisan divide. Trump, who has made it a priority to establish warm relations with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, lashed out in anger at both parties Sunday.
“As the phony Russian Witch Hunt continues, two groups are laughing at this excuse for a lost election taking hold, Democrats and Russians!” Trump wrote on Twitter. He then added: “It’s very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their President.”
The outburst contrasted with the efforts of his staff to argue that the sanctions measure had been improved. With little chance of blocking it, the White House was left to declare that changes to the original legislation made in an agreement announced over the weekend were enough to satisfy the president’s concerns.
“The administration is supportive of being tough on Russia, particularly in putting these sanctions in place,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the new White House press secretary, told ABC. “The original piece of legislation was poorly written, but we were able to work with the House and Senate, and the administration is happy with the ability to do that and make those changes that were necessary, and we support where the legislation is now.”
In reality, while the changes made the measure somewhat more palatable to the White House and to energy companies that objected, they mainly provided a way for the president to back down from a confrontation he was sure to lose if the sanctions bill reached the floor of the House. The Senate passed the original version of the bill, 97-2, and the new version, which also includes sanctions on Iran and North Korea, may come to a vote in the House as early as Tuesday.
Sen. Benjamin J. Cardin, D-Md. and a longtime leader in pressing for more sanctions on Russia, particularly for human rights abuses, put it bluntly on “Fox News Sunday.” “If he vetoes the bill,” Cardin said, “we will override his veto.”