The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
White House says Trump yet to sign Russia bill
Package of stiff financial penalties passed Congress
The White House says President Donald Trump has not yet signed a sanctions bill that landed on his desk last week, which includes new measures against Russia.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the President “has not” signed it, but “he will”. She said: “There’s a review process.” A White House statement on Friday said President Trump “has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it”.
The package of stiff financial sanctions against Russia passed Congress with overwhelming support.
Moscow responded to the White House statement last weekend by ordering a reduction in the number of US diplomats in Russia.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s son-inlaw has told a group of congressional interns that the presidential campaign could not have colluded with Russia because the team was too dysfunctional and disorganised to coordinate with a foreign government.
The remarks by Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the President, came in response to a question about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign worked with Moscow.
ForeignPolicy.com first reported Kushner’s remarks, which were intended to be off the record.
“They thought we colluded, but we couldn’t even collude with our local offices,” Mr Kushner said, according to the website.
A Democratic congressional aide knowledgeable of the meeting confirmed the accuracy of the remarks and others that Kushner made.
Mr Kushner also told the interns the White House does not know where Mr Mueller’s inquiry is headed.
His meeting with the interns is part of a regular series in which guest speakers meet with them each year.