Rep. Frederica Wilson: Trump Won’t Impose Sanctions On Russia Because They’ve Got Something On Him

The Miami Herald reports:

Miami Gardens Congresswoman Frederica Wilson criticized Donald Trump’s handling of congressionally ordered Russia sanctions Tuesday night during a boycott of his state of the union speech, suggesting the president has taken it easy on Russia because “they have something on him.”

“The House and Senate voted on all kinds of sanctions against Russia. Now, the president yesterday announced he wasn’t going to impose those sanctions,” she said just before a press conference with the Miami media inside an Overtown church. “They have something on him. And if he imposes sanctions against Russia, they’re going to tell what they have on him.”

Congress over the summer passed a bipartisan law ordering up sanctions against Russia after determining that the foreign country had meddled in the 2016 U.S. elections. That law gave Trump’s administration some wiggle room on timing, but pegged Monday as a date to begin implementing new penalties against companies that do significant business with Russian defense and intelligence sectors. The State Department, however, announced it would not immediately rush to levy sanctions, saying that the law was already acting as a deterrent.