President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that allegedly authorizes the government to take action to punish future election interference, but the move is little more than a publicity stunt designed to help the president say he is prioritizing the issue. It also leaves the decision to use the strongest sanctions up to the president himself, the one man most reluctant to implement sanctions against Russia for the election interference that already has taken place.
... [T]he order doesn’t actually punish anyone, lawmakers and former and current U.S. officials tell The Daily Beast. Instead, it merely provides a pathway toward determining those punishments—a pathway that critics say already existed, and one that is not likely to result in any specific designations until well after the 2018 elections.
The order authorizes Coats to identify attempts to interfere in U.S. elections that include, but are not limited to, social-media influence campaigns and efforts to hack into election infrastructure and voting systems. Multiple federal agencies, including the Justice Department and Treasury Department, will then have 45 days to determine the appropriate punishments ...
The harshest sanctions outlined in the order would be up to the president’s discretion.
(...)
As The Washington Post first reported in August, the order appears to be an effort to stave off bipartisan legislation that would mandate tough federal action.
(...)
Congressional pressure for tougher federal defenses against foreign election interference grew following Trump’s July 16 summit and news conference with Putin, when Trump avoided publicly confronting the Russian leader about Moscow’s efforts to influence the election.
Trump instead renewed a demand for an investigation of Clinton’s email practices as secretary of state and noted that Putin had issued an “extremely strong and powerful” denial.
(...)
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) immediately issued a joint statement calling the White House effort insufficient and calling on Congress to pass tougher legislation now.
“Today’s announcement by the Administration recognizes the threat, but does not go far enough to address it,” they wrote. “The United States can and must do more,” such as the mandatory sanctions attached to legislation they proposed, the senators wrote. “We must make sure Vladimir Putin’s Russia, or any other foreign actor, understands that we will respond decisively and impose punishing consequences against those who interfere in our democracy.”
(...)
“An executive order that inevitably leaves the President broad discretion to decide whether to impose tough sanctions against those who attack our democracy is insufficient,” [Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence] said.
Three current and former U.S. officials told The Daily Beast that they viewed the executive order as another measure by Trump to appear publicly as if it is exacting harsh measures against Russia. In reality, the sources said, the White House is not committed to hitting Russia with sanctions that will change its behavior—the original goal of the sanctions system drafted in 2014 under President Obama. A harsher executive order would have designated specific entities and individuals, the officials said.
White House Order on Election Meddling Has No Teeth, Officials Say (The Daily Beast)
Trump issues new order authorizing additional sanctions for interfering in upcoming U.S. elections (WaPo)