Trump Issues Statement on Russian Sanctions: ‘I Built a Truly Great Company Worth Many Billions of Dollars’

• ‘Despite Its Problems, I Am Signing This Bill for the Sake of National Unity’  

• ‘We Hope There Will Be Cooperation Between Our Two Countries’

• ‘Congress Could Not Even Negotiate a Healthcare Bill After Seven Years of Talking’

Either the Trump administration lied last week, or it’s lying now. Or both.

Last week, after the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate both passed a bill sanctioning Russia for its election interference, sanctioning North Korea and Iran, and limiting any president’s ability to alter any sanctions, the White House released a statement saying it fully approved of the bill.

“President Donald J. Trump read early drafts of the bill and negotiated regarding critical elements of it. He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it,” Friday’s statement from the White House Press Secretary reads. 

Wednesday morning President Trump signed the bill in to law, largely because congress passed the bill with a veto-proof bipartisan majority and should he veto it they could override his veto, causing the White House even further embarrassment.

But President Trump attached what is known as a signing statement – actually, two statements – which are documents used to explain how a president plans to enforce a law, or highlight the parts he or she disagrees with.

And this is a doozy.

“Since this bill was first introduced, I have expressed my concerns to Congress about the many ways it improperly encroaches on Executive power, disadvantages American companies, and hurts the interests of our European allies,” Trump’s statement says. “My Administration has attempted to work with Congress to make this bill better,” he continues, ignoring that one week ago he said, “based on its responsiveness to [Trump’s] negotiations, [he] approves the bill.”

It gets worse.

“Still, the bill remains seriously flawed – particularly because it encroaches on the executive branch’s authority to negotiate,” Trump says.  

“Congress could not even negotiate a healthcare bill after seven years of talking,” he continues.  

“By limiting the Executive’s flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia, and North Korea much closer together.  The Framers of our Constitution put foreign affairs in the hands of the President.  This bill will prove the wisdom of that choice.”

Trump also offered this concerning addition: “In its haste to pass this legislation, the Congress included a number of clearly unconstitutional provisions.”

He goes on to say, “despite its problems, I am signing this bill for the sake of national unity.  It represents the will of the American people to see Russia take steps to improve relations with the United States.  We hope there will be cooperation between our two countries on major global issues so that these sanctions will no longer be necessary.”

And then this quintessential Trump statement.

“I built a truly great company worth many billions of dollars.  That is a big part of the reason I was elected.  As President, I can make far better deals with foreign countries than Congress.”

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