US Congressional Leaders Reach Accord on Russia Sanctions; Trump's Reaction Unclear

WASHINGTON — 

A bipartisan group of U.S. congressional leaders has reached agreement on new sanctions against Russia for its meddling in the 2016 presidential election and military aggression in Ukraine and Syria, along with economic penalties aimed at Iran and North Korea.

The House of Representatives is set to vote Tuesday on the measure, which does not include changes President Donald Trump wanted to make it easier for him to lift penalties against Moscow. The Senate has already overwhelmingly approved its version of the legislation, but would have to concur with the House bill before it could be sent to Trump for his signature.

White House position unclear

It was not immediately clear, however, how the White House might react to the bill, with his aides voicing differing views on Sunday news talk shows about whether Trump would sign the legislation or veto it and risk being overridden by Congress.

Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, told CNN, "You've got to ask President Trump. My guess is he's going to make that decision soon."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told ABC News "the White House supports where the legislation is now."

The measure's provisions would require Trump to submit to Congress a report explaining his reasons for wanting to ease or terminate sanctions against Moscow, such as returning diplomatic properties in Maryland and New York that former President Barack Obama ordered vacated in December in response to the election meddling.

Congress would have at least 30 days to hold hearings and then vote to approve or reject Trump's easing of sanctions.

Investigations

Congressional action on the legislation is occurring amidst months of investigations of Russian interference in the election aimed at helping Trump win. Numerous congressional panels are interviewing Trump campaign aides. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is conducting a criminal probe whether the Trump campaign illegally colluded with Moscow and whether Trump obstructed justice by firing James Comey, the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director who was heading the Russia probe before Mueller took over.

Trump has been largely dismissive of the Russia probe, with Scaramucci saying, "The Russia thing is a complete bogus and nonsensical thing."

On Saturday, Republican and Democratic lawmakers said they had reached an agreement that fixed lingering procedural issues, as well as adding the sanctions against North Korea to the bill approved by the Senate.

The House legislation will be considered under an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage, meaning it would pass with a veto-proof majority.

Approval of the bill will likely occur before Congress' August recess, a rare bipartisan effort in the politically fractious Washington.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement, "The bill the House will vote on next week will now exclusively focus on these nations and hold them accountable for their dangerous actions.”

Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat, echoed the Republicans' statement, saying the bill "will hold Russia and Iran accountable for their destabilizing actions around the world."

With the sanctions legislation, Congress is seeking to punish Russia not only for its meddling last fall in the U.S. election, but also for its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

The U.S. intelligence community has concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed the U.S. election interference, a claim Putin has rejected.

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