Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, applsuded the Trump administration's announcement of the expulsion of 48 Russian officials serving at its bilateral mission to the United States and 12 others from the Russian mission to the United Nations, as well as the closure of Russia’s consulate general in Seattle.
“During the previous administration – from the annexation of Crimea, to the invasion of eastern Ukraine, to intervention in Syria and cyber-related attacks – President Putin was emboldened by a lack of consequences,” said SenatorCorker.
“In recent months, through a series of coordinated, targeted actions, the administration and Congress have made clear that Russia’s aggression will no longer be tolerated. I applaud the president for ordering the expulsion of 60 Russian officials in solidarity with our allies and am pleased the administration has signaled that it is prepared to take more aggressive action when necessary.”
Actions today by the Trump administration follow new sanctions announced earlier this month against Russia for malicious cyber-attacks and interference in the 2016 elections. In January, the administration sanctioned additional individuals in connection with the conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s occupation of Crimea. The administration also has continued to implement the Magnitsky Act, sanctioning five additional individuals under the law in December 2017. In August 2017, the president signed into law the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which was coauthored by Senator Corker. That same month, the administration forced the Russian government to close its consulate in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington, D.C., and a consular annex in New York City. In June 2017, the administration reinforced existing sanctions on Russia by designating or identifying a range of individuals and entities involved in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.