House Republicans Block Russia Sanctions Bill

[Swordsmyth]

After recruiting Trump, the KGB and Moscow have clearly also managed to make all House Republicans their puppets, because the Senate bill that passed last week and slapped new sanctions on Russia (but really was meant to block the production on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (https://www.ft.com/content/03a9fd6a-51d8-11e7-bfb8-997009366969?mhq5j=e3)from Russia and which Germany, Austria and France all said is a provocation by the US and would prompt retaliation) just hit a major stumbling block in the House.
At least that's our interpretation of tomorrow's CNN "hot take."
Shortly after House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas said that House leaders concluded that the legislation, S. 722, violated the origination clause of the Constitution, which requires legislation that raises revenue to originate in the House, and would require amendments, Democrats immediately accused the GOP of delaying tactics and "covering" for the Russian agent in the White House.
“House Republicans are considering using a procedural excuse to hide what they’re really doing: covering for a president who has been far too soft on Russia,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement (https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-20/russia-iran-sanctions-bill-stalls-in-house-after-senate-passage?utm_content=tv&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cmpid%3D=socialflow-twitter-tv). “The Senate passed this bill on a strong bipartisan vote of 98-2, sending a powerful message to President Trump that he should not lift sanctions on Russia.”
And, if the House does pass it, a huge diplomatic scandal would erupt only not between the US and Russia, but Washington and its European allies who have slammed (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-16/must-not-happen-germany-threatens-us-retaliation-over-new-russia-sanctions)this latest intervention by the US in European affairs... a scandal which the Democrats would also promptly blame on Trump.

More at: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-20/house-republicans-block-russian-sanctions-bill

[goldenequity]

smarter minds realize they're going to lose Europe to Russia/China.
Euro economies are tanking, exports HAVE to grow.

[goldenequity]

(Europe cannot afford to lose this market becuz of a US pissing match)
The SCO Just Became the World's Largest Political Organization (http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/sco-just-became-worlds-largest-political-organization/ri20170) (Shanghai Cooperation Organization)

So now the SCO not only qualifies as the largest political organization – by area and population – in the world;
it also unites four nuclear powers.

http://russia-insider.com/sites/insider/files/styles/s400/public/1054469691.jpg?itok=6JF-dbnL
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is reshaping Eurasia

[goldenequity]

Russian TV Commentary on US Sanction Pressure on Europe/Japan.

"Well Played."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gss_s8ahjqo

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/state-department-blames-russia-for-canceling-high-level-meeting/article/2626641


State Department blames Russia for canceling high-level meeting

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's team accused Russia on Wednesday of "turn[ing] away from an opportunity" to repair relations with the United States, following the cancellation of an upcoming diplomatic summit.

"We regret that Russia has decided to turn away from an opportunity to discuss bilateral obstacles that hinder U.S.-Russia relations," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a Monday statement. "We remain open to future discussions."

A top State Department official was scheduled to travel to St. Petersburg for a June 23 follow-up on Tillerson's March meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Russians cancelled that meeting after the Treasury Department applied existing U.S. sanctions to 38 people and entities, including two Russian government officials, involved in the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine.

"The situation is not conducive to holding a round of this dialogue," Sergey Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, said according to the Associated Press.

Tillerson's team accused Russia of overreacting. "The maintenance package of sanctions issued yesterday by the Treasury Department, which only reinforced existing sanctions, was designed to counter attempts to circumvent our sanctions and to maintain alignment of U.S. measures with those of our international partners," Nauert said. "We have regularly updated these sanctions twice a year since they were first imposed."

The Russians protested that the new sanctions update is unwarranted because Ukraine has failed to fulfill its own obligations under the Minsk ceasefire agreements. "Sanctions have yet again been adopted without any good reason," Lavrov told reporters. "Regrettably, our [European Union] colleagues have devised a devious formula, according to which all sanctions will be lifted when Russia implements the Minsk Agreements . . . The only thing I can say now is that I regret the anti-Russia obsession of our American colleagues that is overstepping the limits."

Nauert countered that Russia provoked the sanctions by annexing Crimea from Ukraine and backing a violent separatist movement in regions that have a large population of ethnic Russians.

"Let's remember that these sanctions didn't just come out of nowhere," she said. "If the Russians seek an end to these sanctions, they know very well the U.S. position: Our sanctions on Russia related Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine will remain in place until Russia fully honors its obligations under the Minsk Agreements. Our sanctions related to Crimea will not be lifted until Russia ends its occupation of the peninsula."

[goldenequity]

Austrian Economic Chamber President Warns Against Weaponizing Economy (https://sputniknews.com/business/201706211054856573-leitl-economy-sanctions-russia-us/)

"The use of political sanctions should not be linked to the economy.
The two men also stressed that the new sanctions will negatively affect the United States' ties with the European Union.

“When politics is not able to find a solution, economy is used as a weapon. But the economy should alleviate tension instead of creating it,”

==========

Russian President Vladimir Putin said US sanctions were used only as a pretext to “contain Russia.”

“If there were no situation with Crimea and other problems, they would have invented something else to contain Russia,” Putin said last week.