Impose new sanctions in response to Russian meddling
As a rule, it’s not always wise for Congress to insert itself directly into the process of foreign policy, an area more rightly reserved for the executive branch. New laws to impose sanctions against a country can be very difficult to remove and can deny a president the flexibility necessary to conduct diplomacy.
It was a bad idea, for example, when Congress threatened to muck up delicate nuclear-agreement talks with Iran in 2014 by threatening a bill that would have dictated accord-killing terms.
But what Congress is attempting now with new sanctions against Russia is an entirely different kettle of fish. The House and Senate should be applauded for bipartisan defiance against President Trump, who remains in stubborn denial about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brazen ploy to interfere in the American electoral process.
Yes, the European Union is nervous about new sanctions potentially disrupting Europe’s energy market, and Moscow is furious. But Congress recognizes that important issues of U.S. sovereignty are at stake here.
On Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House voted 419-3 to punish Moscow with a bill that also hamstrings the president from easing sanctions without congressional approval. The Senate, which passed an earlier version by a resounding 98-2 vote, should act quickly on the revised bill and send it to Trump’s desk before the August recess.
Even if Trump had the nerve to veto the measure, he’d face the humiliation of an override by a Congress controlled by his own party, something the Senate Historical Office says hasn’t happened since 1980, when Jimmy Carter was president.
U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously agree that Ameri- ca’s electoral system was attacked by Russia last year when Moscow’s cyber-operators hacked into computer systems and disseminated stolen information to boost Trump’s candidacy.
Yet despite these conclusions, Trump remains in fervent — and mystifying — disbelief about Russian responsibility. He continues to describe an ongoing investigation as a “phony Russian witch hunt.” Worse than that, he has flirted with lifting earlier sanctions imposed by the Obama administration. Winning sanctions relief was almost certainly one of Putin’s key goals with his election meddling.
The new bill would impose modest punishments. They include sanctions against cybersecurity officials in Russia, as well as purveyors of human rights violations and distributors of arms to Syria. Iran and North Korea would also suffer new sanctions.
Though modest, the actions could be troublesome for Russia just as its economy shows tentative improvement after years of declining oil prices, inflation and anemic growth.
New sanctions could steepen that recovery slope, and are an appropriate response to Moscow’s transgressions. Most important, they would send a strong message to Putin that his antisanctions campaign is backfiring spectacularly.