Tag: Fever

Intrigue over election meddling, President Donald Trump's mysterious past ties to Moscow, the Kremlin's international belligerence and toxic diplomatic ties have Washington fixated on Russia as much it ever was during the Cold War. The White House made a significant turn by finally rolling out sanctions on Russian groups and individuals -- including one close to Putin -- to punish election interference by the Kremlin and signed up to a tough statement alongside Britain, France and Germany slamming Moscow over an alleged assassination bid on a former Russian spy using nerve agent in rural England. But consistent with the pattern of this presidency, the administration's narrative was quickly overshadowed by a new bombshell about Robert Mueller's probe, when it emerged the special counsel had subpoenaed Trump Organization documents, including some about Russia. Trump warned last year that Mueller would cross a "red line" if he began to probe his family finances not related to Russia, sparking speculation that he could fire the special counsel -- a step that could cause a constitutional crisis. But his White House finally did target Moscow on Thursday, unveiling its strongest sanctions yet against individuals and entities in an effective validation of assessments that election meddling did take place. "It certainly looks like the Russians were behind it. It is hard to believe that any previous president since the end of World War II would have yet to deliver unequivocal warnings to Russia or clear reassurances to allies in Europe in the face of such Russian behavior. "To hear the President actually speak to camera or speak to the American people and denounce Putin, denounce the Russian government for the steps they are taking, would be, I think, be far more powerful," Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan told CNN's Brianna Keilar on Thursday. That speculation intensified after it was revealed Thursday -- hours after the sanctions announcement -- that Mueller had subpoenaed documents from the Trump Organization including some to do with Russia. It also marked the first publicly known occasion on which Mueller has demanded documents related to Trump's business.