The Senate passed the new Russia sanctions bill 98-2 this week, and only Soviet agents would vote against it. Or so Clintonites would have you believe.



Adam Parkhomenko, former Clinton aide and founder of the Ready for Hillary PAC, tweeted: “...98 Senators voted for Russian sanctions today. Sanders voted the same way anyone with the last name Trump would vote if they were in the Senate. No excuses ― stop making them for him.”

Peter Daou, another Clinton adviser, also took to Twitter, writing, “So Bernie Sanders was 1 of 2 (out of 100) senators to vote against Russia sanctions. And 1 of 4 to vote against the Magnitsky Act.” Daou’s reference to the 2012 Magnitsky Act, another bill leveling sanctions against Russia, suggests he believes Sanders’ vote indicates he is tied to Putin.

Feel the Bern? Bernie Sanders voted against Russian sanctions today. 98 Senators voted for Russian sanctions today. — Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) July 27, 2017

The article explains that Sanders voted against the bill because it slaps sanctions on Iran, which "impact on the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)". It's curious how quickly Democrats will abandon one of Obama's most important legacies.

I am strongly supportive of sanctions on Russia and North Korea. However, I worry very much about President Trump’s approach to Iran. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 27, 2017

There are two other very good reasons to oppose the Russia sanctions bill, besides opposing a pointless escalation of political tensions (something no one is bothering to mention).

One of them was brought up by a House Republican.



Congressman Tom Massie of Kentucky was one of the three Congress members, all Republicans, to vote No. “I voted against vague, expensive, and reckless sanctions,” he says....This bill authorizes $250 million for a vague Countering Russian Influence Fund,” Massie says, “with no accountability on who these funds will go to or how they will be used."

Massie also said some crazy anti-UN sh*t, but at least he's right about opposing a huge, unaccountable slush-fund.

The other, and most important reason, is what our European allies think.



The German economy minister Brigitte Zyries warned the United States about possible repercussions after the US House of Representatives voted to impose new sweeping financial sanctions on Russia.

"It's bad that the US has left the common line it had with Europe for sanctions against Russia."

'There is now the possibility of counter-sanctions against the US."

Yes, a European trade war against the US is possible now.



Making use of the EU “Blocking Statute,” an EU regulation (Council Regulation 2771/96) that says no decision based on extraterritorial U.S. laws is enforceable in the EU.

This is a big deal, and almost no one seems to care inside Washington.



They also target Russian extraction of offshore gas in the High North, Russian arms exports, and Russian banks, as well as containing new measures on Iran and North Korea.

The threat of US fines could put at risk Russia's plan to build a new gas pipeline to Germany, Nord Stream II, which involves five Austrian, German, French, and Anglo-Dutch firms.

“If our concerns are not taken into account sufficiently, we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days,” Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told press in Brussels on Wednesday.

“America first cannot mean that Europe's interests come last,” he added, referring to German complaints that the new sanctions were designed to help US firms sell liquid gas to Europe.

It's not Trump that is forcing a split here between Europe and the US. It's the Democrats, and for stupid reasons.



"If the president vetoes this bill, the American people will know that he is being soft on Putin, that he’s giving a free pass to a foreign adversary who violated the sanctity of our democracy," Schumer said.

One thing is clear: the obvious winner of a diplomatic split between Europe and the U.S. would be Russia.

Thus the Democrats are Russia's Useful Idiots.