Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday suggested the chamber might move forward on new sanctions against Russia in the wake of President Donald Trump's divisive meeting with Vladimir Putin.
McConnell mentioned a bipartisan bill from Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) that would slap new penalties on Moscow if the director of national intelligence found that meddling in future U.S. elections had occurred. The majority leader stopped short of any firm commitments to passing that measure or any others related to Russia, but told reporters that "there's a possibility we may well take up legislation related to this."
McConnell and his fellow GOP leaders used their weekly press appearance to reinforce their agreement with U.S. intelligence agencies' findings on Russian meddling and to reassure Europe about America's commitment to its alliances there.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed Trump by name in his own remarks to reporters, supporting action on the Rubio-Van Hollen bill but demanding a host of other measures, including testimony by administration officials about the specifics of what Trump and Putin discussed in their one-on-one meeting Monday.
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Rubio said he will “redouble” his efforts to pass the bill and predicted it could clear a veto-proof threshold given the interest of GOP leaders. But he was cautious when suggesting how quickly the bill could move.
“It’s got to find its way onto the floor,” Rubio said. “Once the Supreme Court nomination gets going, it’s going to be difficult.”
The No. 3 Senate GOP leader, John Thune of South Dakota, also stopped short of declaring that the bill had real momentum, describing it as "one proposal, one option out there."
The Republican-controlled Senate is discussing "different ideas about how to approach this issue," Thune told reporters. "But, for sure, messing around by the Russians in the 2018 elections will... bring about a response."
Read More: McConnell floats action on new Russia sanctions (Politico)