House Republican Accuses Trump White House of Being ‘Weak on Russia’: ‘Moral Blindness’

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), a retired Air Force general, hammered President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday over its recent decision to lift oil sanctions on Russia to try to avert further price shocks during his Iran operation.

On Tuesday night, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the move, writing on social media that Trump “is taking decisive steps to promote stability in global energy markets and working to keep prices low as we address the threat and instability posed by the terrorist Iranian regime.”

“To increase the global reach of existing supply, @USTreasury is providing a temporary authorization to permit countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea. This narrowly tailored, short-term measure applies only to oil already in transit and will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government, which derives the majority of its energy revenue from taxes assessed at the point of extraction,” Bessent concluded, working to suggest Russia won’t benefit too much from the move.

The Trump administration had already lifted other sanctions against Russia during the war, including giving India a waiver to buy Russian oil – something the U.S. had worked hard to stop.

Bacon, who is retiring from Congress, shared Bessent’s tweet and added, “The White House is weak on Russia. There is a moral blindness when it comes to Russia. Over two-thirds of Americans find it repulsive.”

“This action helps financially prop up Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This sustains Russia’s invasion,” Bacon later added while sharing the Washington Post report on the latest Russian oil relief. Bacon has long been a critic of Trump’s friendly relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s push for regime change in Iran.

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