Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) is not all that impressed with the administration’s minimal sanctions. “Despite strong bipartisan congressional action, the almost purposeful foot-dragging by the Trump Administration has sent a clear signal to Vladimir Putin that he can continue his destabilizing behavior against the United States, our interests and our allies. It will take time to see if we now have truly turned a corner. It is the responsibility of the President of the United States to use all the tools available to him to seek justice on behalf of the American people and protect our nation.”
Some impressive misuse of taxpayer dollars. “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spent nearly $1 million on seven military aircraft trips between the spring and fall of 2017, according to documents gathered by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).” This is totally unacceptable.
I’ll be impressed if he can put it off altogether. “[Mike] Pompeo will not be able to establish contact with the South Korean foreign minister, let alone his North Korean counterpart, until the Senate approves his nomination — a process that officials on Capitol Hill said could take several weeks. The White House has not yet even completed the paperwork to begin that process, the officials said.”
The national security adviser is not impressed with the current level of sanctions either. “National security adviser H.R. McMaster on Thursday called for further U.S. action against Russia as punishment for crimes in Syria, in a fiery address at an event marking the seventh year of the Syrian Civil War.”
An impressive move in defiance of Trump’s “red line.” “Special Counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents related to his investigation into whether Trump associates colluded with Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter.”
Americans are impressed with Mueller. “A majority of Americans (61%) say they are very or somewhat confident Mueller will conduct a fair investigation; these views have changed only modestly since December. . . . Overall, 58% of the public say senior members of the Trump administration likely had improper contact with Russia during the 2016 campaign, including 25% who say they ‘definitely’ did and 33% who say they ‘probably’ did.”
Chris Wallace isn’t impressed with Trump either. “Chris Wallace Dings Trump for Wishy-Washy Statements on Russia: ‘He Doesn’t Condemn.’”
