White House: 'We Have Been Very Hard On Russia'
- 6 years ago
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday said that the Trump administration has been “very hard on Russia.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday said that the Trump administration has been "hard" on Russia.
"I think we've been very hard on Russia from the beginning," Sanders stated at a press briefing. "There have been sanctions, we've increased energy exportation from this country, and we've done things to put pressure on Russia, asking them to engage in a bigger and greater way on some of the common enemies that we face."
The statement came in response to a question about strong statements made earlier by National Security Adviser General H.R. McMaster regarding Russia's spread of disinformation and propaganda.
Sanders was specifically asked whether McMaster's comments were in line with President Trump's view and perhaps indicative of "a national security strategy that will take a harder tack on Russia."
In addition to saying the present handling of Russia has been firm, Sanders described McMaster as a person who is familiar with the president's feelings on the matter and noted those views are something "we certainly feel confident in him speaking about."
Notably, Trump has been rather consistent in dismissing Russia's role in the 2016 election meddling.
He has also stated, "Every time [Putin] sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that.' And I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it."
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday said that the Trump administration has been "hard" on Russia.
"I think we've been very hard on Russia from the beginning," Sanders stated at a press briefing. "There have been sanctions, we've increased energy exportation from this country, and we've done things to put pressure on Russia, asking them to engage in a bigger and greater way on some of the common enemies that we face."
The statement came in response to a question about strong statements made earlier by National Security Adviser General H.R. McMaster regarding Russia's spread of disinformation and propaganda.
Sanders was specifically asked whether McMaster's comments were in line with President Trump's view and perhaps indicative of "a national security strategy that will take a harder tack on Russia."
In addition to saying the present handling of Russia has been firm, Sanders described McMaster as a person who is familiar with the president's feelings on the matter and noted those views are something "we certainly feel confident in him speaking about."
Notably, Trump has been rather consistent in dismissing Russia's role in the 2016 election meddling.
He has also stated, "Every time [Putin] sees me, he says, 'I didn't do that.' And I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it."