TO RUSSIA, WITH SHOVE
Prez expels 35 ‘spies,’ sanctions Putin pals Trump: I’ll get intel update ‘next week’
ty Chief Sergey Aleksandrovich Gizunov and First Deputy Chiefs Igor Olegovich Kostyukov and Vladimir Stepanovich Alexseyev.
The sanctions mark a low point for U.S. relations with Russia, which suffered during Obama’s years as he and Putin tussled over Ukraine, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence issued a joint report, saying in a statement that the “activity by Russian intelligence services is part of a decade-long campaign of cyber-enabled operations directed at the U.S. Government and its citizens,” further fleshing out consensus within intelligence circles that Russia was behind the hacks.
Democrats were quick to encourage Trump to listen to intelligence officials and stick to the sanctions — while some top Republicans offered support as well.
“Both parties ought to be united in standing up to Russian interference in our elections,” said incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) also offered measured support for the moves, even while he attacked Obama for how he handled Russia throughout his time in office. “While today’s action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia,” he said.
Russia fired back Thursday, mocking the Obama and calling the sanctions as “futile and counterproductive” while promising to respond in kind.
The Obama-led White House is “not an administration, it’s a group of foreign policy losers, angry and ignorant,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.Soon after the sanctions were announced, Russia’s embassy in England tweeted a picture of the word “lame” superimposed over a duck, and described the actions as “Cold War deja vu” and the administration as “hapless.”
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow will retaliate in a way “that will deliver significant discomfort to the U.S. side in the same areas.”