Trump faces GOP pressure over Russia sanctions

Bloomberg

A group of Republicans in the U.S. Senate is intensifying calls on President Donald Trump to keep sanctions on Russia in place ahead of his planned call with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio and others were responding to media reports that Trump administration officials are considering taking executive actions to lift sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 over its occupation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.
“I am deeply concerned about reports suggesting that sanctions imposed on Russia may be lifted without resolving the unacceptable and hostile actions that caused the sanctions to be imposed by the U.S. and our allies,” Portman, who during the campaign rescinded his endorsement of Trump after the “Access Hollywood” video leaked, said Friday in a statement. “I would encourage the president to reject this course of action.”
Portman is one of five Republican senators, including Armed Services Chairman John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, to co-sponsor a Democratic-authored bill aimed at locking into law the sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama.
The legislation would also target anyone suspected of hacking into U.S. computer systems, a reaction to U.S. intelligence findings that Russia meddled in the U.S. election by breaking into e-mail accounts associated with Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
McCain also implored Trump on Friday to abandon any efforts to ease or lift sanctions.
“For the sake of America’s national security and that of our allies, I hope President Trump will put an end to this speculation and reject such a reckless course,” he said. “If he does not, I will work with my colleagues to codify sanctions against Russia into law.”
Trump is scheduled to confer with Putin by phone on Saturday. During a joint news conference that Trump held Friday with British Prime Minister Theresa May, he said it remains “very early to talk about” lifting the sanctions. Earlier in the day, a senior Trump aide, Kellyanne Conway, said on Fox News that such a move is “under consideration.”
Trump will hold a series of calls with world leaders Saturday aside from Putin, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.