The Trump administration announced that it would”consider” additional sanctions on Russia despite the fact that the day before this announcement U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said that these new sanctions were imminent.
During an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Haley said that Steven Mnuchin, Treasure Secretary, will announce these new sanctions, but the Treasury Department declined to comment about this. Two officials did state that no such announcement has been planned.
During the same interview, Haley said that the sanctions would target “any sort of companies that were dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons use.”
Sarah Sanders attempted to clarify what was going on, though some say that she created more confusion on the situation.
“We are considering additional sanctions on Russia and a decision will be made in the near future,” Sanders said in a statement.
As reported by Fox News:
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continued to hail the missile attack as perfectly carried out.
Trump tweeted “Mission Accomplished” on Saturday after U.S., French and British warplanes and ships launched more than 100 missiles nearly unopposed by Syrian air defenses. While he declared success, the Pentagon said the pummeling of three chemical-related facilities left enough others intact to enable the Assad government to use banned weapons against civilians if it chooses.
Trump’s choice of words recalled a similar claim associated with President George W. Bush following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Bush addressed sailors aboard a Navy ship in May 2003 alongside a “Mission Accomplished” banner, just weeks before it became apparent that Iraqis had organized an insurgency that would tie down U.S. forces for years.
Later Sunday, Trump sent a letter to congressional leaders informing them in writing of his decision to order the strike. Under the War Powers Resolution, the president must keep Congress informed of such actions.