Lindsay Graham said Sunday the Trump administration “is slow” when it comes to punitive policies on Russia, citing their failure to implement congressionally approved sanctions on the country.
“I think the Trump administration is slow when it comes to Russia. They have a blind spot on Russia I still can’t figure out,” the South Carolina senator said in an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Graham was responding to a question from Todd about the White House’s failure to implement a bill on Russian sanctions, which Congress approved in July and President Trump signed in August. Todd noted that the implementation deadline was Oct. 1, but the White House has yet to take any action.
“Mr. President, go after Russia because they’re coming after us,” Graham said. Graham did note, however, that he thinks Trump is developing a stronger understanding of these threats.
Graham also said the Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election will continue to persist throughout the 2018 and 2020 election cycles, and that the country needs to develop a response mechanism. “Russia’s gonna get worse, if not better,” he said.
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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com