WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC News) – The White House has announced new sanctions targeting Russia in retaliation for interference in the 2016 election, the recent chemical weapons attack targeting a former spy in the United Kingdom, and an attempted cyber-assault on the U.S. power grid.
Senators from both parties expressed strong support for the new sanctions.
The treasury department is targeting 19 individuals and five entities for interference in the 2016 u.S. Election. That includes 13 Russians previously indicted for election meddling by special counsel Robert Mueller.
“They are out of control, Russia is, and they need to be dealt with, and that is one way to discourage this,” Texas’ Senator John Cornyn said.
Virginia’s Senator Mark Warner, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the decision to implement sanctions “long overdue.”
“The Administration missed its deadline, and that was very disappointing. Remember these sanctions were approved I believe 98 to 2, and while I think this is a good step, it is not fully sufficient,” Warner said.
Warner also noted his disappointment with President Trump’s refusal to directly condemn Russia.
“What continues to concern me is while you had the administration act, there still seems to be a great reluctance for the President himself to call out Russia as a bad actor,” Warner said.
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