Export license restrictions could be tightened if election interference is uncovered.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order calling for the imposition of sanctions against Russia if it’s discovered that the country has meddled in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.
The executive order said the director of national intelligence shall conduct an assessment of any information indicating foreign government election interference no later than 45 days after the election. If election meddling is discovered, the State and Treasury departments will propose sanctions.
“Any recommended sanctions shall be appropriately calibrated to the scope of the foreign interference identified,” the executive order said.
These sanctions may include enhanced U.S. export license restrictions and controls around myriad financial transactions involving Russian individuals.
Since taking office in 2017, the Trump administration has piled on sanctions against Russia for various reasons, including the country’s military activity in Crimea and recent allegations of poisoning Russian nationals in the United Kingdom, but pressure is mounting on the White House to respond with a firmer hand against Russia’s meddling in American politics.
China, Iran and North Korea also have been identified as potential election meddlers, not only in the United States but in recent European elections.
Some Capitol Hill lawmakers criticized the executive order for not going far enough to punish Russia for prior election meddling and they are demanding swifter and harsher punishments against those foreign governments that interfere in U.S. elections.
“The United States can and must do more,” said Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who introduced the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act earlier this year. “Mandatory sanctions on anyone who attacks our electoral systems serve as the best deterrent.”
“We must make sure Vladimir Putin’s Russia, or any other foreign actor, understands that we will respond decisively and impose punishing consequences against those who interfere in our democracy. With only 55 days until the midterm elections, we urge our colleagues to send a clear and unified message to our adversaries by quickly passing this legislation,” the senators said in a statement.
The DETER Act calls for a severe and swifter response against countries, such as Russia, that are found by the director of national intelligence to be meddling in U.S. elections. Instead of waiting weeks and months to respond, the DETER Act will implement sanctions within 10 days of the director of national intelligence’s determination.
The legislation also includes explicit sanctions against Russia’s finance, energy, defense and metals and mining industries; blocking assets of every Russian political official and oligarch identified in a report required by the 2017 Countering America’s Adversaries Act, and requirements for the White House to work with the European Union to gain their support for adopting a comprehensive sanctions regime against Russia.
Since 2017, the Trump administration has used the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act and other existing laws to impose sanctions on more than 200 Russian individuals and entities. However, lawmakers believe that the administration has left some entities untouched by tougher sanctions.
“We cannot expect Vladimir Putin and his corrupt associates to change their behavior in Syria, Ukraine or anywhere else until we prove we will hold them to account,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., at the start of hearing this morning reviewing U.S. sanctions policy. “I can’t understand why action has not been taken, for example, against the Russian entities that provide material support to Iran’s Mahan Air.
“This sanctioned Iranian airline reportedly transports weapons and personnel to Syria, and still maintains routes with St. Petersburg and Moscow. We should be examining and designating the Russian individuals and companies that support Mahan with maintenance, ticketing services, cargo sales and more,” he added. “This is low-hanging fruit.”
Meddle in midterms, get slapped with sanctions
