White House pressuring Senate to water down Russia sanctions bill — report

The bill, backed by more than 80 senators, would impose more sanctions on entire sectors of Russian economy and spike U.S. tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. However, Trump is said to worry that the measure could harm pursuit of détente with Moscow.

According to the report, in recent weeks the White House and other Trump officials have secretly contacted Graham’s office, urging him to amend the bill. Sources said officials suggested adding exceptions that would allow Trump to choose who or what would be subject to sanctions and replacing every instance of “shall” with “may” in the text. The amendments would effectively render the bill “toothless.”

The bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), confirmed that private discussions took place with the White House but declined to comment on their details.

On June 5, Graham said the Senate would soon consider a bill imposing “crippling” sanctions on Russia in response to actions by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.