Trump backs Russia sanctions package spearheaded by Graham
By Adam Cancryn, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump will support the passage of a bipartisan Russia sanctions package that was spearheaded by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a White House official told CNN on Monday.
The endorsement comes days after Graham’s unexpected death, likely further smoothing the path for a bill that the South Carolina senator spent years working to push across the finish line.
Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal previously indicated the administration was prepared to back the package, saying Friday that they reached an agreement following extensive negotiations. Yet it was unclear at the time whether Trump would directly support the bill, as the president had repeatedly panned the legislation and pushed for more direct discretion on imposing sanctions.
Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Monday evening if he planned to sign the sanctions bill, he responded: “Yeah, we’re talking about it. … We’ll decide very soon on that.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune earlier on Monday said the White House had been working closely with Graham on the measure, telling CNN that he has hopeful.
“It’ll take Democrats and Republicans here in the Senate to do that, but I’m hopeful we can make it happen,” he said.
Thune said that in Graham’s last days, the sanctions package was “the thing that he cared the most about in terms of an accomplishment, and it would certainly be an incredible legacy for him.”
In a separate interview, Blumenthal told CNN that he planned to speak with Thune on Monday afternoon about the final preparations and timing for the bill’s passage, including finding a new Republican to take Graham’s place as its lead sponsor.
The sanctions package would clear the way for Trump to impose heavy tariffs on imports from nations that buy Russian oil, uranium and natural gas, in an effort to further weaken Moscow amid its war with Ukraine.
“It should be seen as a fitting tribute to Sen. Graham to do it quickly in his memory,” Blumenthal said. “It’s exactly what we were talking about when I last spoke to him over the weekend.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Donald Judd contributed to this report.
