Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) called the Obama administration’s new sanctions targeting Russia for meddling in the U.S. presidential election “overdue.”
“While today’s action by the administration is overdue, it is an appropriate way to end eight years of failed policy with Russia. And it serves as a prime example of this administration’s ineffective foreign policy that has left America weaker in the eyes of the world,” he said in a statement.
He added that “Russia does not share America’s interests. In fact, it has consistently sought to undermine them, sowing dangerous instability around the world.”
{mosads}The Obama administration announced a slate of economic sanctions on Thursday, targeting two of Russia’s main intelligence organizations — the GRU and the FSB — four individual GRU officers, three companies who provided support to the GRU and six individuals implicated in the campaign.
Democrats quickly praised the decision. Ryan’s Senate counterpart, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), hasn’t yet commented on the Obama administration’s announcement.
The intelligence community publicly blamed Russia in October for “interfering” in the U.S. election. The Washington Post subsequently reported that the CIA believed it was an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
Lawmakers are planning to probe the report next month, though Trump has continued to deny Moscow’s involvement in the election. He told reporters on Wednesday that “I think we ought to get on with our lives” when asked about proposed sanctions.