U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that he strongly supports President Barack Obama’s actions against Russia for its efforts to influence the recent presidential election.
On Thursday, Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and imposed sanctions on Russian intelligence agencies in retaliation for that nation’s role in the election.
Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, insisted this was the right move and tore into Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“After years of weakness that have invited and encouraged Russian aggression, today’s actions by President Obama are long overdue,” Rubio said on Thursday. “Vladimir Putin has made it abundantly clear he is not an ally or partner of the United States, and that his interests are fundamentally not our interests.
“From his repression of the Russian people and the assassination of his critics, to his dangerous invasion of Ukraine and occupation of Crimea, to his threats against our NATO allies in Central and Eastern Europe, to the war crimes committed by Russian forces and their Syrian and Iranian allies in Aleppo, Putin’s Russia is a threat to global stability,” Rubio added. “‘Resets’ and engagement with Moscow by two administrations have clearly failed. Putin has become so emboldened that he authorized the harassment of U.S. personnel in Russia and attempted to undermine American democracy by meddling in our election.
“I welcome the measures taken today to check Russian aggression and look forward to working with congressional leaders from both parties in the months ahead to strengthen these penalties, thoroughly investigate Russian efforts to undermine the U.S., and ensure that Putin and his cronies are held accountable for their actions,” Rubio said in conclusion.
Rubio has already fired a warning shot at Rex Tillerson who President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate to lead the State Department, pointing to his ties to the Putin government. If Democrats on the Foreign Affairs Committee unite against Tillerson and are joined by Rubio or another Republican, the nomination will not head to the Senate floor.
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