The Trump administration supports legislation that imposes new sanctions on Russia but handicaps the president’s ability to lift those sanctions, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Sunday. The legislation, which is expected to pass the House with bipartisan veto-proof majorities Tuesday, slaps new sanctions on Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and includes a provision that would require Congress to review any attempts by the president to lift or strengthen the sanctions. The administration tried to fight that measure, but congressional Republicans and Democrats wouldn’t budge. “We support where the legislation is now, and will continue to work with the House and Senate to put those tough sanctions in place on Russia until the situation in Ukraine is fully resolved,” Sanders said on ABC’s This Week. On CNN’s State of the Union, incoming communications director Anthony Scaramucci said he doesn’t know whether the president will sign the bill, adding he “hasn't made the decision yet.”
—Andrew Desiderio
