Trump: ‘I haven’t eased anything’

President Trump on Thursday denied his administration is rolling back sanctions on Russia after the Treasury Department announced a change to penalties enacted by former President Barack Obama in response to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“I haven’t eased anything,” Trump told reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. 

The Treasury Department earlier in the day amended Obama’s additional Russian sanctions — levied in December — to allow United States technology companies to export products to Russia.

{mosads}Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control clarified that American tech companies can seek licenses from Russia’s Federal Security Service to export their goods to Russia, so long as the products aren’t used in Crimea or violate pre-existing sanctions.

Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer argued it’s common for Treasury to create specific carve-outs for different industries or products and services after sanctions are put in place.

“It is a regular course of action that Treasury does often when sanctions are imposed.”