It didn't receive the coverage that other news related to Putin loyalist and treasonous con man Donald "Rump" Trump received last week, but, if successful, it may force Rump to side with the U.S. over Mother Russia. The "it" is legislation introduced in the Senate, the "Defending American Security From Kremlin Aggression Act of 2018," which has three Dems and three Rethuglicans as co-sponsors. Its aim is to impose harsher sanctions on the Kremlin, specifically targeting Russian thug and adversary Vladimir Putin's wallet. One of the co-sponsors, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said,
“Vladimir Putin continues to pose a growing threat to our country and allies. While Congress overwhelmingly passed a strong set of countermeasures last year, unfortunately, the Administration has not fully complied with that legislation. This bill is the next step in tightening the screws on the Kremlin and will bring to bear the full condemnation of the United States Congress so that Putin finally understands that the U.S. will not tolerate his behavior any longer. The Kremlin continues to attack our democracy, support a war criminal in Syria and violate Ukraine’s sovereignty. With the passage of this legislation, Congress will once again act to establish a clear U.S. policy to hold Russia accountable with one clear message: Kremlin aggression will be met with consequences that will shake Putin’s regime to its foundation.” (our emphasis)The bill also requires the State Department to determine whether Russia warrants designation as a State Sponsor of Terror, given its role in the barbaric war in Syria with Iran's assistance. In a direct slap at Rump, the legislation also strongly supports NATO and provides for an expedited transfer of defense material to our NATO allies.
Despite Rump's blatant lie that he's been harder on the Kremlin than past Presidents, he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to implement the most recent round of sanctions passed by an overwhelming bi-partisan majority in Congress. While no record of his likely treasonous one-on-one meeting with Putin in Helsinki exists, save for the Kremlin's unverified account, it's certain that Putin brought up lifting sanctions -- the Magnitsky Act sanctions in particular, which affect him -- and Rump likely agreed to work quietly toward that goal, as he has since the election with attempted back-channel communications with the Kremlin.
Given the proximity to the 2018 elections, this legislation should take top priority, over Kavanaugh, over everything else.
(photo: "How am I doing, sir?")
