Byron York The president appeases Putin
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/byron-yorks-daily-memo-the-president-appeases-putin
On Tuesday came word that President Joe Biden will waive sanctions on a major player in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which U.S. officials have long seen as a Russian threat to U.S. and European security. The pipeline, which is nearly completed, would transport natural gas from Russia to Germany. In the process, it would make both Germany and the rest of Europe — and the NATO alliance — vulnerable to the strategic desires of Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin. Not surprisingly, the pipeline is a top-priority project for Putin.
President Donald Trump was a leading force in supporting sanctions against the companies and individuals involved in the pipeline. But now, Biden plans to ease sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the company that is running the project, and its top official, Matthias Warnig. And here’s the odd thing: “The State Department will…acknowledge that the corporate entity in charge of the project (Nord Stream 2 AG) and its CEO, (Putin crony and former East German intelligence officer Matthias Warnig) are engaged in sanctionable activities,” writes Axios’ Jonathan Swan, who broke the story. “However, the State Department will waive the applications of those sanctions, citing U.S. national interests.”
What are those national interests? Swan reports that the Biden administration “is not willing to rupture its relationship with Germany” over the pipeline, which the administration insists it is still determined to stop.
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Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress oppose the pipeline and support sanctions related to it. But for Republicans especially, after listening to Democrats accuse President Trump of appeasing Putin, the administration’s decision is particularly galling. And add to that their unhappiness with Biden shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline project in the U.S.
“Joe Biden’s policy is to stop American pipelines and build Russian pipelines,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton said in a text exchange Wednesday morning. “After four years of pretending to be Jack Ryan for crass political reasons, the Democrats have reverted to their old ways of appeasing Russia.” Cotton and his GOP colleagues well remember Democrats blasting Trump as soft on Russia and bragging they would be tough on Putin if a Democrat were in the White House.
From a statement by Republican Senator Ben Sasse: “Two months ago, President Biden called Putin a ‘killer,’ but today he’s planning to give Putin, his regime, and his cronies massive strategic leverage in Europe. You can’t pretend to be a Russia hawk but then just roll over. It’s wrong to roll back a tool that hurts the completion of a core Putin pet project to weaken NATO.”
“Stunning,” tweeted GOP Senator Ted Cruz. “In defiance of U.S. law, Biden is actively helping Putin build his pipeline. Objectively speaking, the Biden administration is shaping up to be the most pro-Russia administration of the modern era.”
One last thing: Republicans cannot help but think, What if Trump did this? How many Democrats, and how many of their allies in the press, would be calling the president Putin’s patsy and coming up with elaborate theories of how Trump might somehow be beholden to the Russian strongman? “This story would be a five-alarm fire if it happened in the Trump administration,” tweeted National Review’s Rich Lowry.
Indeed, it would. But with Trump out of office, for Democrats, the political utility of screaming Russia Russia Russia is gone. Even if the president really is appeasing Putin.
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