Congress sees red!
BOTH PARTIES SLAP AT DON IN DEAL FOR SANCTIONS VS. RUSSIA
THINGS WENT from Vlad to worse Saturday for President Trump.
A bipartisan congressional effort, ignoring White House objections, produced a bill Saturday to impose sweeping sanctions against Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential race and its human rights violations.
The bill, due for a Tuesday vote in the House, features a section barring Trump from reducing or ending any part of the Russian rebuke without approval from the House and Senate.
If the bill lands in the Oval Office, Trump faces a pair of personally unpalatable choices: Sign off on the legislation despite his ardent misgivings. Or veto the bill — and foster more speculation about his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But even Trump’s rejection could mean nothing if Congress overrides the President’s nyet.
Republicans and Democrats insisted on Trump-proofing the sanctions based on the President’s overly friendly relationship with Putin. The White House pushed back, but couldn’t get any traction in Congress.
“Those who threaten America and our interests should take notice — your actions have consequences,” tweeted House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (RCalif.).
Trump and Putin held two meetings earlier this month during the G20 summit in Germany, with the second a private get-together lasting about an hour.
“Given the many transgressions of Russia, and President Trump’s seeming inability to deal with them, a strong sanctions bill such as the one Democrats and Republicans have just agreed to is essential,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
The sanctions would also hammer Russia for its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria, and specifically target those supplying weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assad, participating in election-hacking or engaging in human rights violations.
While no timetable was set for a Senate vote, the bill could be approved before Congress’ August break.
There was no comment Saturday from the White House on the proposed penalties. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a text message to CNN, said he viewed the sanctions “quite negatively.”
The bill would additionally impose economic sanctions against Iran and North Korea.
“The legislation ensures that both the majority and minority are able to exercise our oversight role over the administration’s implementation of sanctions,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). “I look forward to seeing this legislation on the floor next week, where I’m confident it will receive strong, bipartisan support.”
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) called on Trump to approve the package. “A nearly united Congress is poised to send President Putin a clear message on behalf of the American people and our allies, and we need President Trump to help us deliver that message,” said the top-ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
If passed, the bill would require Trump to deliver a report to Congress explaining any White House decision to suspend or end any portion of the sanctions. Congress would then have 30 days to sign off on Trump’s decision — or reject it.
The bill, according to Cardin, would “express solidarity with our closest allies in countering Russian aggression and holding the Kremlin accountable.”
Trump’s first six months in office were consistently dogged by reports of his campaign’s ties to
Russia. Trump’s choice as national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign just 24 days into the presidency because of links to Russia — including a $45,000 Russian TV appearance where he sat alongside Putin.
Special counsel Robert Mueller and several congressional committees are already investigating Trump over his campaign’s relationship with Russia during the 2016 presidential race.
The President’s son Donald Jr. hosted a June 2016 Trump Tower get-together with a Russian lawyer who promised to deliver dirt on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that during the campaign S Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke twice with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak — including once about policies of interest to the Putin administration.
Trump, in the middle of a Saturday Twitter tirade, wondered why he was under investigation instead of his old campaign foe Hillary. “What about all the Clinton ties to Russia, including Podesta Company, Uranium deal, Russian Reset, big dollar speeches etc.,” wrote Trump. Also Saturday: l Trump appeared at the commissioning of the $12.9 billion Gerald R. Ford, asking God’s blessing for the warship — which he dubbed “a 100,000-ton message to the world” of American might — and calling on Congress “to do its job and pass the budget” to approve higher military spending so the U.S. can build “the best equipment.”
l Fellow billionaire Mark Cuban, a Trump critic, suggested the current commander-inchief’s White House performance would make it tough for the next deep-pocketed outsider seeking the presidency. “He’s not setting the best example,” Cuban said at OZY Fest 2017 in Central Park. “If he lasts four years, I’ll be there to kick his a--.”
At the same event, frequent Trump target and former rival Jeb Bush, who the President derided as “Low Energy” during the campaign, said concern for the future of his grandkids kept him rooting for The Donald to succeed.
“I find him deeply troubling in a lot of ways,” Bush said. “But I pray for him every night.”
Bush also said the President is not so much a Republican as he is Trump.