Trump administration declines to impose new Russia sanctions

The Trump administration announced Monday it is not going to implement sanctions against companies and individuals doing business with Russian defense and intelligence sectors.

Under a bipartisan law passed 98-2 in the Senate to punish Russia for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and other abuses, the administration was required to release by Monday a list of blacklisted Russian companies and individuals, but a State Department official said foreign governments and individuals are instead being put "on notice" that "significant transactions with listed Russian entities will result in sanctions. Sanctions on specific entities or individuals will not need to be imposed because the legislation is, in fact, serving as a deterrent."

The announcement frustrated Democrats like Rep. Eliot Engel (N.Y.), who said in a statement he's "fed up waiting for this administration to protect our country and our elections. They've now shown us they won't act, so it's time for Congress to do more. The Trump administration had a decision to make whether they would follow the law and crack down on those responsible for attacking American democracy in 2016. They chose instead to let Russia off the hook yet again." President Trump has repeatedly defended Russia against allegations that the country meddled in the election, despite U.S. intelligence agencies saying otherwise.

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