Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on sweeping sanctions legislation to punish Russia for its election meddling and aggression toward its neighbors, they said Saturday, defying the White House’s argument that President Trump needs flexibility to adjust the sanctions to fit his diplomatic initiatives with Moscow.
The new legislation sharply limits the president’s ability to suspend or terminate the sanctions — a remarkable handcuffing by a Republican-led Congress six months into Mr. Trump’s tenure. It is also the latest Russia-tinged turn for a presidency consumed by investigations into the Trump campaign’s interactions with Russian officials last year.
Mr. Trump could soon face a decision: veto the bill — a move that would fuel accusations that he is doing the bidding of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia — or sign legislation imposing sanctions his administration abhors.
“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 Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The White House had argued that such strict sanctions would hamper Trump's ability to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
The House did not seem to give a shit about that.
The House version of the bill includes a small number of changes, technical and substantive, from the Senate legislation, including some made in response to concerns raised by oil and gas companies.
But for the most part, the Republican leadership appears to have rejected most of the White House’s objections. The bill aims to punish Russia not only for interference in the election but also for its annexation of Crimea, continuing military activity in eastern Ukraine and human rights abuses. Proponents of the measure seek to impose sanctions on people involved in human rights abuses, suppliers of weapons to the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and those undermining cybersecurity, among others.
The ball will now be in Trump's court. He can sign the bill and piss off his puppet master, or veto the bill and remove any doubt that he is working for the Kremlin.
Delicious!
ReplyDeleteSeems some of these GOP enablers are growing spines.
This is good news. I hope you are correct.
DeleteTrump needs to go! He is ruining this country .
Not to mention that he is stupid trash!
I've been wondering what the Trumps did with Michelle Obama's vegetable garden. It's probably overgrown with weeds and afids.
Delete@ 9:53 More likely the garden has been plowed under and salted so that nothing will grow there ever again. That will show her!
Delete9:53: seems like the usurper, Melanoma, wanted to preserve it (at least in February, when she was not yet living at the WH) : https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/02/14/first-lady-melania-trump-preserve-michelle-obamas-garden-white-house/21713937/
DeleteDavid Cay Johnston was on AM Joy today to add some background to the link between Trump's personal finances and Russia.
ReplyDelete"His finances are about Russia," he said.
"Donald has been going to Russia and doing business with Russians since the 1980s, there are deals that don't appear to any commercial sense whatsoever involving the Russians, there's the ongoing effort by Trump to suppress and prevent trial on the allegations involving the Trump Soho Hotel and whether it was a big tax fraud -- the money, the profits disappeared into an Icelandic bank under the thumb of one of the oligarchs, and notice that Donald Trump is always attacking law enforcement -- this isn't new, by the way" he said.
"He was attacking anyone in law enforcement who went after him in the '80s and the '90s, Mayor Ed Koch said Trump should have served 15 days in jail as a sales tax cheat. He attacks Koch. Interesting he never attacked Vladimir Putin."
http://crooksandliars.com/2017/07/why-you-cant-separate-russia-probe-trumps
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whom President Donald Trump once infamously derided for being “low energy,” said on Saturday that the president is digging himself a major hole with his tweets about the Russia investigation.
ReplyDeleteBusiness Insider reports that Bush, while speaking at the OZY Fest in New York, took aim at Trump’s Saturday morning attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whom the president alleged were not doing enough to investigate former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“He unleashed five tweets today about stuff that jeopardizes his legal situation, insults somebody, goes back to the 2016 election, none of which is relevant to getting tax relief done, regulatory reform done,” Bush said. “This is going to be a long ride between 2018 in January, much less 2020.”
Bush also slammed Republicans in Congress for not doing anything to hold Trump accountable, as he noted there would be nonstop outrage from the GOP if former President Barack Obama’s campaign had had the sort of contacts with Russian officials that the Trump campaign did in 2016.
“If Barack Obama did something as it related to Russia and you say, ‘This is outrageous,’ then when your guy does the same thing, have the same passion to be critical,” Bush said. “Does everything have to be a political calculus? ‘Oh my god if I say something, there will be an opponent, and there will be a third-party interest group come and give money to my opponent. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.’ This is not what public services should be about.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/07/jeb-bush-trumps-latest-crazed-tweet-storm-jeopardizes-his-legal-situation/
Jeb!
DeleteExplain your role in 9/11.
Also too, 2000 election!
DeleteWow, Jeb grows a spine :)
DeleteLittle donnie will probable tweet something stupid like Jeb is jealous because he lost.
Too little, too late, PleaseClap. You had your chance to take this meathead down and failed in epic proportions. Thanks to you and your ilk we are stuck with this pile of shit for however long it takes to get rid of him but the stink will NEVER come off the GOP and you.
DeleteTrump's face is physically repulsive. Some of his photos are worse than others. He's a very unhappy fella!
ReplyDeleteHe scrunches up his face like a toddler about to throw a raging tantrum. Emotionally, I think he is a toddler. Something didn't develop normally and this abomination is the result.
DeletePresident Piggy Eyes.
DeleteNext time you're at a state fair or whatnot, check out the hogs. Trump eyes.
Oh come on now, don't insult the dear hogs.
DeleteHe's a really ugly son of a bitch,too, ain't he?
ReplyDeleteThe ultimate F.U. to Trump will be to override his veto. He may just nuke Alaska and blame North Korea if the veto override happens.
ReplyDeleteWhen Putin gets Alaska back NoKo will no longer plan on nuking Alaska since it won't be USA.
DeleteOh yeah cuz that would fix it. Eye roll. Bring it. See what happens afterwards.
DeleteSarah and her Russian "family" cough. Paybacks.
What is all this crap about giving the russian spies their houses back?
ReplyDeleteThey are foreigners in our country and it seems to me, if they are doing our country harm we have the right to throw them out and seize the property, just like drug lords and other criminals.
It's the idiot Trump trying to override what President Obama put in place once again. Trump's got no place in the presidency!
DeleteSince Drumpf only wants to negotiate for the rights to build his brand in Russia, he can go shove his head where the sun don't shine.
ReplyDeleteRussian spy planes, bombers approach Alaskan airspace
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/21/more-russian-spy-planes-bombers-approach-alaskan-airspace.html
Russian aircraft fly close to Alaska for 4th time in 4 days
http://abcnews.go.com/International/russian-aircraft-close-alaska-4th-time-days/story?id=46939351
PLEASE hit the Dead Lake compound. :)
DeletePutin is a bully. Plain and simple. And about time the GOP stood up to Trump. A dollar short and a day late. But better than never.
DeleteI still say we have no leadership in our government. That's why Putin thinks we are weak enough to threaten.
Putin is scared shitless. His plan is exploding in his pants and he can't make it to the toilet in time.
Deleteot?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ruth-bader-ginsburg-gerrymandering_us_59736a9de4b00e4363dfd3c8
Today is a great day for a resignation.
ReplyDeleteA juvenile delinquent draft dodger should not be ordering our military. A known documented liar and cheat should not be in public office. A lousy failure business person should not represent a country.
ReplyDeleteHe will veto it for whatever obscure reasons - and then Congress can override his veto, if they are so 'almost' united.
ReplyDeleteThat will be his first and only complete defeat, and he does not take well to defeats...
Oh, please, let it happen and have him throw such a hissy he resigns and leaves office. Yeah, I know Pence is worse, but in some ways not as bad as Trump. At least he knows how to shake hands and doesn't use his testicles for brains.
Delete