Lawmakers were blindsided and outraged on Monday after the Trump administration said it would neither announce nor implement new sanctions against Russia.
After briefing senators in a classified setting, the State Department announced that the sanctions regime currently in place was acting as a “deterrent” against Russian aggression and that, therefore, new measures will “not need to be imposed” as required under the law.
The announcement caught lawmakers off guard, including those who co-authored the bipartisan Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) last year. That bill passed in large part to punish Russia for its efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election in 2016. That it was put on the backburner left some on Capitol Hill with the impression, once more, that the Trump administration felt indifferent toward the Kremlin’s influence campaign.
“When the Congress voted for this, the whole point of it was to slap sanctions on these Russian companies that interfered with our election and are doing all kinds of other things,” Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Daily Beast in an interview. “The legislation itself is not a deterrent if you don’t put teeth behind it. And the teeth behind it are the sanctions.”
When will these folks realize that Donald Trump does not work for the American people?
Donald Trump works for this guy.
OT?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/29/jared-kushner-is-chinas-trump-card
Not sure what the problem is. There are more than enough votes to override ant Drumpf veto. They should impeach Drumpf for failure to faithfully execute the laws of the land.
ReplyDeletehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10129871/2018.01.30_Letter_to_GAO_on_opioid_emergency_declaration.0.pdf
ReplyDeleteThey're shocked that Trump defied Congress? Did they really think they could vote for something and he'd just follow along? How very quaint.
ReplyDeleteWe're slipping from Fascism to Dictatorship and they're still fussing over Benghazi and E-mails.
Fucking morons.
Trey Gowdy Won’t Seek Re-Election To Congress
ReplyDeletehttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trey-gowdy-retiring_us_5a71fa74e4b05253b274fec0?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
He’d have a tough campaign. Seems all of the Republicans facing a tough campaign are turning chicken and “retiring.” (I’m talking about YOU Darrell Issa.)
DeleteFBI Launches Preemptive Strike on Nunes Memo
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thedailybeast.com/fbi-launches-preemptive-strike-on-devin-nunes-memo-ripping-it-for-omissions-of-fact
Layer who authored this debacle was slapped down in federal court for ineptitude, which kinda encompasses the entire wingnut party.
DeleteThese guys, unlike the usual Grand Jury, couldn't indict a ham sandwich. They are SFW- stoopid effing wingnuts.
At least one dead after train carrying GOP lawmakers slams into garbage truck: reports
ReplyDeletehttps://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/least-one-dead-train-carrying-gop-lawmakers-slams-garbage-truck-reports/
‘Things are scary for them’: Dem who busted Nunes says GOPer has never stopped ‘coordinating’ with White House
ReplyDeletehttps://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/things-scary-dem-busted-nunes-says-goper-never-stopped-coordinating-white-house/
Yet one more standard that his predecessors would have had to adhere to that Trump refuses to abide by.
ReplyDeleteWhen will we Americans learn what Trump already knows: that the rules don’t apply to him. Has he released tax returns? No. Did he divest all of his business interests? Not really. He turned everything over to his children, who are now his aides. Has he shown more decency and restraint than when he was campaigning? Hell no.
He writes whatever he wants on Twitter. He openly engages in dictator-like tactics such as firing the people investigating him, calling for the jailing of his policy’s appointments, attempting to control the Justice Dept, and telling lies (inauguration crowd size one of several examples) that can easily be proven false.
Does he learn? No. Has he suffered any lasting consequences for behaviors that would have sunk any other candidate? Nope. He’s been doing this shit since day one.
I worry that the only person who can bring him down for good is Vladimir Putin. I hope I’m wrong.
Putin meme re purchase of Trump:
Deletehttps://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/aaca77313d46ee72f5623d4cb4f28fb192e2d33ae66076b98e0e3387ea732559.jpg
Totally off subject - Gowdy - U.S. Congress - just announced he will not run for reelection. Another Republican down!
ReplyDeleteHe's going back to his law practice - said he isn't enjoying the political scene! Don't let the door hit you on the way out Gowdy!
Doubt seriously he will be missed. He has a nasty personality and showed it often.
All of the Western World has enforced sanctions against Putin.
ReplyDeleteTrump is clearly terrified of Putin.
https://www.dermotcole.com/blog/2018/1/30/rphoqaxyqzmptoxrhf4fisas3je93x
ReplyDelete"Murkowski's statement on Trump's speech: “The president’s vision that he outlined tonight of an America that is safe, strong, and proud is one that all of us should be able to support. I welcome his outreach to members of both parties and the policies he laid out that can draw support, even in a divided nation.
"There was a lot of good in the President's speech tonight—from gains in our economy to lowering the price of prescription drugs and from fully funding our military to investing in infrastructure and our skilled workforce."
"But the President’s best point was more fundamental: we need to work together to solve our country’s problems. Whether it is the opioid epidemic, immigration reform, or rebuilding areas devastated by natural disasters, we must work together to build bipartisan solutions for the American people."
“The President outlined a number of areas where we can find bipartisan agreement, and it is now our responsibility to work together and begin building a more united America.”
Sullivan's statement: "I appreciate President Trump’s focus in his State of the Union address on issues that are important to Alaska and America: policies to strengthen our economy, the call for new infrastructure and permitting reform, efforts to tackle our nation's opioid crisis, energy dominance, and rebuilding our military. I also appreciate that throughout his speech, the President highlighted so many of America’s heroes. We are a country of heroes, and in Alaska, we are a state of heroes. I'm glad to see that recognized."
Young's statement: “I think it was a great speech. Now, it’s up to Congress to act on many of the issues the President discussed tonight. Infrastructure, for example, is going to be a big project for us. I believe this was good news for Alaskan and we have many positive projects to look forward to.”"
haha I didn't read it but we know what that bunch of useless creeps wants from Trump- and the more harmful it is the more likely they'll get it. I hope a lot of red-voting Alaskans are personally hurt by Trump. Not a few, a lot. Just like all the other red states.
DeleteWhy are the rats jumping ship? Don't want to sit in the back of the bus when the blue tsunami hits?
ReplyDeleteBe on the look out for Republican dirty tricks in all the states with the midterm elections. We really do need to go back to all states use paper ballots for voting. The machines can be hacked and gerrymandering means 3 times as many Democrats need to show up and vote for the Democrat in the election.
Our Alaska delegation leaves lots of questions! Vote them out of office when they come up for reelection as they are in step with their dictator leader!
ReplyDeleteMost especially Murkowski...she's been the biggest supporter of Trump. Note that she always shows up in his photos and always stands near him. Makes me want to upchuck!!
OT: Hostel World ;-I
ReplyDelete"The 75-year-old Croatian hotelier, Pero Jelinic, was shot dead as he aimed his rifle to kill a second lion."Friends of Jelinic told local news outlets that he loved “canned” big game hunting that is a controversial industry in which cats are bred in certain regions and hunters pay to track and kill them for trophies. Slavko Pernar, told Croatian paper Jutarnji List that Jelinic “was a passionate hunter of big and small game, and in search of that he travelled most of the world.”
His friends added that he had leased his hotel in order to “dedicate himself” to big game trophy hunting in his retirement."
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/trophy-hunter-killed-aiming-rifle-lion-south-africa/
"Local police have opened an investigation into whether the shot that killed Jelinic as he was aiming at the second lion was an accident or a potential homicide."
Did they dust the murder weapon for paw prints?
DeleteIs this something that can be over ridden by a vote with a veto proof majority of congress? If so someone someone needs to light a fire under these dolts we call Senators and Representatives.
ReplyDeleteWhere have they been living in s cave?
ReplyDelete