McConnell: Bill Blocking Trump From Easing Russia Sanctions Not ‘Necessary’

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 14: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., flanked from left by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., speaks to reporters after the Senate ... UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 14: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., flanked from left by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., speaks to reporters after the Senate Republicans' policy lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has signaled that he will not support bipartisan legislation announced yesterday that would prevent President Donald Trump from rolling back sanctions on Russia.

“I don’t think that’s necessary at this point,” McConnell told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Wednesday evening. He did add that he would “certainly encourage” Trump to leave sanctions in place.

The legislation announced yesterday would require Trump to wait 120 days before changing sanctions and would allow Congress to pass a resolution preventing the President from easing sanctions against Russia. The measure would also codify certain sanctions against Russia that are already in place.

The majority leader also emphasized to the Wall Street Journal that he still does not support forming a special committee to investigate the Trump administration’s communications with Russian officials in the wake of Michael Flynn’s resignation as national security adviser. McConnell has backed an investigation led by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“You have a select committee when you think you can’t handle it with the existing structure,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

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  1. GOP and McConnell reverting to stereotype and doing what they do best: obstruction, red herring casting, and waggon circling. Yertle at the center, withdrawing his head into his shell. Chaffetz wanting to investigate lewks instead of Flynn-Russia connection

    In a sense, Trump is right: The real story is not Flynn. But it isn’t government leaks, either. No, the “real story here” is Trump himself—and the continuing mystery of his ties to Russia.

    As official Washington and the press home in on the permanent disarray in the White House, whether the disgraced Flynn broke the law and who will succeed him after his three-week tenure, the key question is getting lost in the shuffle: Who told Flynn to call Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States? Because I’m convinced Flynn didn’t do it of his own accord. Flynn is a bit player in a much larger story regarding the president’s relationship with the Kremlin, and it’s this story the press needs to focus on.

  2. “‘I don’t think that’s necessary at this point,’ McConnell told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Wednesday evening. He did add that he would ‘certainly encourage’ Trump to leave sanctions in place.”

    History will not be kind to the Turtle. It wasn’t going to be anyway, but now it will be downright evil.

  3. Shorter Turtle (Spineless-KY): My wife works for Trump.

  4. Keep digging, Yertle, just keep digging.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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