© Global Look Press / Bradley Ireland / DanitaDelimont
Even as the 'Russiagate' probe crumbled in the US Senate, five senators resurrected a 'sanctions bill from hell' against Russia. What are the prospects of it passing, and does it even need to in order to achieve its objective?
The
"Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression (DASKA)" Act, also known as Senate Resolution 482, was
announced on Wednesday by the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey). It is a rehash of the
August 2018 bill (S. 3336) proposed by Menendez and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), called the
"sanctions bill from hell" at the time.
Because DASKA has not been properly filed with the Library of Congress, the full text of the bill is not available just yet. Based on the announcement
put out by Menendez, it goes beyond the previous proposal to sanction Russian sovereign debt and banks that "support Russian efforts to undermine democratic institutions in other countries," investments in natural gas projects outside of Russia, as well as "political figures, oligarchs, and family members and other persons that facilitate illicit and corrupt activities, directly or indirectly, on behalf of Vladimir Putin."
Even the most cursory observer will notice the bill treats alleged Russian meddling abroad and "illicit and corrupt activities" of the Russian president as established, proven facts (they are not). This is the same line of thinking used in the bill's proposed sanctions against Russian security agents "deemed complicit in the Kerch Strait attack" - the November 2018 incident in which Russian coast guard stopped several Ukrainian vessels attempting to force passage from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.
Comment: And now you have more of an understanding why 80% of the French population supports a movement that wants to sweep the whole political class out of power.