(Bloomberg) -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ordered committee hearings on legislation to deter Russia from meddling in this year’s election, marking lawmakers’ first concrete response to the uproar over President Donald Trump’s shifting posture on Russia following his summit with President Vladimir Putin.
A U.S. intelligence assessment on the 2016 election "makes clear that President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign aimed at undermining public faith in our democratic process," McConnell said in a statement Thursday.
He ordered the chairmen of the Banking and Foreign Relations Committees to hold hearing on Russia sanctions and asked them to recommend "additional measures that could respond to or deter Russian malign behavior."
Lawmakers in both parties have called for actions -- such as tougher sanctions on Russia and limiting the president’s ability to impose tariffs based on national security -- following Trump’s summit in Helsinki with Putin.
Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona and Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware are seeking unanimous consent for a resolution that backs the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and says Russia must be held accountable.
Some administration officials have said they are concerned there may be no shaking public perception that Trump is too cozy with Putin. Trump’s aides view this as one of the worst moments of his presidency, one official said, noting that the president continues to resist acknowledging election interference because he believes that diminishes his victory.
To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net;Steven T. Dennis in Washington at sdennis17@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo
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