Senator McCaskill Says We're In A Constitutional Crisis

ST. LOUIS, MO — After President Trump declined to enforce new sanctions on Russia passed overwhelmingly by Congress over the summer, Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill says we're now in the midst of a Constitutional crisis.

On Monday night, the administration announced new sanctions were not needed, despite an intelligence assessment that Putin's regime meddled in the 2016 election and intends to do so again. The House and Senate are currently investigating the matter, and the Justice Department has appointed a special counsel, Robert Mueller, to determine if President Trump or anyone on his campaign helped the Russians in their efforts, promised them anything in return, or tried to engage in a cover-up after the fact.

A State Department spokesperson said in a statement that Congress had been informed of the decision.

"Congress voted 517-5 to impose sanctions on Russia," McCaskill wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning. "The President decides to ignore that law. Folks that is a constitutional crisis. There should be outrage in every corner of this country."

Congress voted 517-5 to impose sanctions on Russia. The President decides to ignore that law. Folks that is a constitutional crisis. There should be outrage in every corner of this country.
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) January 30, 2018

The Trump administration says the threat of sanctions alone is working as a deterrent, but critics say the sanctions were not intended as a deterrent but rather as a punishment. And CIA director Mike Pompeo told the BBC this week that he had seen no decrease in Russian attempts to interfere in elections in the United States and across Europe. "I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that," he said.

Trump called the sanctions bill "seriously flawed" in August, but a veto-proof majority in both houses of Congress left the president little choice but to sign it. He has continued to cast doubts on whether Russia tried to help him win the election, despite the conclusions of the intelligence community.

At least 17 members of the Trump administration or campaign team met with Russian government officials or lawyers or businessmen closely connected to Russian oligarchs, both during the 2016 election and the presidential transition. Four of president Trump's associates have been criminally indicted on charges ranging from lying to the FBI to money laundering and conspiracy against the United States. During the campaign, then candidate Trump publicly called on Russia to hack and release Hillary Clinton's emails.

The Trump team has said these are unrelated incidents involving low-level staffers. Critics say they fit a pattern of collusion.

Photo: President Donald Trump speaks on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office. Also pictured, from left, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, Press Secretary Sean Spicer and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Priebus, Bannon and Spicer have since been fired. Flynn has been indicted. (Drew Angerer/News/Getty Images)