Trump White House Presses Senate for Weaker Russia Sanctions
Source: Wall Street Journal
The Trump administration is trying to get Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) to significantly weaken his Russia-sanctions bill while the White House seeks to patch up its relationship with Moscow instead of punishing it for the continued invasion of Ukraine.
A key provision in the legislation, backed by more than 80 senators, is the imposition of sanctions on key Russian officials and sectors, as well as penalties for countries that do business with Moscow. That, President Trump fears, could harm his goal of reviving relations between the U.S. and Russia even as he seeks to end the war in Ukraine.
Over the past weeks, White House and other administration officials have quietly contacted Graham’s office, urging him to water down his bill, namely by inserting waivers that would allow Trump to choose who or what gets sanctioned, congressional aides said. Another way to weaken the legislation would be to turn the word “shall” into “may” wherever it appears in the bill’s text, removing the mandatory nature of the prescribed reprimands, congressional aides said.
Any administration asks for changes to high-profile bills, often seeking language that gives the president more authority to make decisions instead of having foreign-policy actions thrust upon them. But removing the mandatory nature of the sanctions would render Graham’s bill toothless, the staffers said, noting that Trump already has the ability to impose sanctions at will.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-russia-sanctions-senate-dea1f81d?st=AdeXS6
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There's gotta be some CCTV footage inside one of those russki hotels. For the Moscow beauty pageant. Miss Universe 2013
