Sen. Coons on Sanctions against Russia for Interference in the 2016 Election

Statement

U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement urging members of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass sanctions against Russia for their interference in our 2016 presidential election and urging President Trump to quickly sign those sanctions into law:

"The intelligence community's declassified report on Russia's intervention in the 2016 presidential election assesses with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale campaign to influence our election and undermine the American public's faith in our democratic process. Russia must pay a price for its actions, and that starts by enacting sanctions against the Russian government for its meddling in our election. The Senate voted to pass sanctions on Russia with overwhelming bipartisan support, and members of the House of Representatives should also ensure that Russia is held accountable.

"The sooner the House passes sanctions against Russia, the sooner both chambers of Congress can agree on a final text and send the bill to President Trump. I strongly urge the President to sign these sanctions into law immediately, and send a clear and forceful message that the United States will not tolerate future interference.

"We have no quarrel with the Russian people. However, we will not stand for Russian government actions that undermine our democracy. Our electoral process is fundamental to our democracy, and we must defend the integrity of that process. The 2018 United States mid-term elections are quickly approaching, and we must ensure that Russia does not successfully interfere again. It is crucial that the House, the Senate, and the White House enact this bill quickly and protect our democracy moving forward.

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