Trump Imposes ‘Sanctions from Hell’ on Russia for Accusations that Russia Poisoned an Ex-Spy, But there Is No Proof

The Trump administration announced it was hitting Russia with new sanctions punishing Putin’s government for the March 4 nerve-agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK.  No evidence confirming Russia’s involvement has yet been released.  The first wave of sanctions will ban licenses for export to Russia of sensitive national security goods. The second set downgrades diplomatic relations, suspends Aeroflot’s ability to fly to the US, and nearly all exports and imports will be cut.

Ron Paul criticized the neocons who are pushing the ‘crushing’ ‘sanctions from hell’ claiming that Russia is attacking our democracy, yet they offer no proof.  They claim that Russia is supporting a war criminal, Syrian President Assad, who is widely supported by his people and has nearly defeated a 7-year occupation by ISIS. Additionally, the neocons claim that Russia violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, but ti was the US that backed the coup that toppled Ukraine.  Ron Paul says that sanctions are good at two things only: destroying the lives of innocent civilians and inciting war.
-GEG

Trump must be getting really nervous about what Special Counsel Robert Mueller is about to announce, because on the same day that Russian assets plunged after the text of the proposed “crushing sanctions” contemplated by the Senate was leaked, sending the ruble, Russian stocks and bond plunging, moments ago the Trump administration announced it was hitting Russia with new sanctions punishing Putin’s government for the March 4 nerve-agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the U.K.

While Skripal and his daughter survived the attack attributed to the Russian nerve agent Novichok, a British woman died and her companion became gravely ill after coming in contact with the substance just miles from the site of the March attack.

The State Department said in a statement that under the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, Russia was found to have “used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law or had used lethal chemical or biological weapons against its own nationals.”

No public evidence confirming Russia’s involvement has yet been released, and instead UK and US authorities hope the public will accept the conclusion on faith alone.

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You can always count on the neocons in Congress to ignore reality, ignore evidence, and ignore common sense in their endless drive to get us involved in another war. Last week, for example, Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-NC), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and others joined up to introduce what Senator Graham called “the sanctions bill from hell,” aimed at applying “crushing” sanctions on Russia.

Senator Graham bragged that the bill would include “everything but the kitchen sink” in its attempt to ratchet up tensions with Russia.

Sen Cory Gardner (R-CO) bragged that the new sanctions bill “includes my language requiring the State Department to determine whether Russia merits the designation of a State Sponsor of Terror.”

Does he even know what the word “terrorism” means?

Sen Ben Cardin (D-MD) warns that the bill must be passed to strengthen our resolve against “Vladimir Putin’s pattern of corroding democratic institutions and values around the world, a direct and growing threat to US national security.”

What has Russia done that warrants “kitchen sink” sanctions that will “crush” the country and possibly designate it as a sponsor of terrorism? Sen. Menendez tells us: “The Kremlin continues to attack our democracy, support a war criminal in Syria, and violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

There is a big problem with these accusations on Russia: they’re based on outright lies and unproven accusations that continue to get more bizarre with each re-telling. How strange that when US Senators like Menendez demand that we stand by our NATO allies even if it means war, they attack Russia for doing the same in Syria. Is the Syrian president a “war criminal,” as he claims? We do know that his army is finally, with Russian and Iranian help, about to defeat ISIS and al-Qaeda, which with US backing for seven years have turned Syria into a smoking ruin. Does Menendez and his allies prefer ISIS in charge of Syria?

And how hypocritical for Menendez to talk about Russia violating Ukraine’s sovereignty. The unrest in Ukraine was started by the 2014 US-backed coup against an elected leader. We have that all on tape!

How is Russia “attacking our democracy”? We’re still waiting for any real evidence that Russia was involved in our 2016 elections and intends to become involved in our 2018 elections. But that doesn’t stop the propagandists, who claim with no proof that Russia was behind the election of Donald Trump.

These Senators claim that sanctions will bring the Russians to heel, but they are wrong. Sanctions are good at two things only: destroying the lives of innocent civilians and leading to war.

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