Senate Republicans opened the new session of Congress Tuesday in a familiar position: trying to uphold long-held GOP beliefs— this time, the party’s tough-on-Russia stance — without criticizing President-elect Donald Trump.
Republican lawmakers generally said they supported the economic sanctions and the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats announced by President Obama last week, with some even pushing for further congressional measures against Russia. But when it came to responding to Trump — who praised Russian President Vladmir Putin in a tweet and said the country needs to “move on” from talking about Russian hacking during the election — Republicans tried to defend their president-elect and deflected questions about the possibility of Trump reversing those sanctions.
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said there are “individuals who certainly have those concerns” about Trump appearing soft on Russia, but said he’s going to discuss the issue in greater detail with Trump’s secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson to get a better idea of the incoming administration’s position on Russia.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member