US Senator Bob Menendez "If you look at the wide range of activities that this administration has undertaken under the direction of the president, including the very significant sanctions that we have been able to launch, including the expulsion of 60 Russians out of our country, including the closing of Russian entities in the United States, what Russia sees is a United States that is very aggressively targeting malign activity," Sigal P. Mandelker, a senior Treasury Department official, told the Senate Banking Committee. The expulsions were part of a coordinated campaign by western allies to punish Russia for the nerve-gas poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter, not for election interference. And many of the sanctions came from legislation passed with veto-proof majorities in Congress and signed reluctantly by the president. The US Capitol dome is seen in Washington. Credit:AP But earlier on Tuesday, the Treasury Department did announce a new round of sanctions targeting ships delivering Russian oil to North Korea despite ongoing sanctions and marine companies that are supplying Russia's military. Mandelker said to expect additional designations in the coming weeks.

But senators insisted on a more sceptical path. They questioned the effectiveness of sanctions passed overwhelmingly last year to target Russia's defence and intelligence sectors and tried to solicit input from the officials on how to proceed. And with the latest targets being conservative groups, concern could spread. Congress and the Trump administration are both positioned to ratchet up pressure, said Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, the Republican chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, which holds jurisdiction over sanctions law. "It's not often that Congress acts together in such a strong manner, as marked by such near-unanimous votes" last year, he said. "But, then, Russia is a menace on so many different levels, today, that Congress can be compelled to act with a single voice to find solutions that will protect America and democratic values across the world." Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the committee's top Democrat, was more forceful, calling the latest denial by the Kremlin "nonsense" and insisting that Trump do the same.

"Our government — the president and Congress together — must right now send a more powerful and direct message to Putin and those within his circles: We know what you're doing, it must stop, and if you continue, you and your government will pay a dear price," he said. He expressed optimism that the panel would work in a bipartisan way to layer on new sanctions authorities. Microsoft revealed on Monday that it had detected and seized websites that were created in recent weeks by hackers linked to the Russian military intelligence unit formerly known as the GRU. The sites appeared meant to trick people into thinking they were clicking through links managed by the conservative Hudson Institute and the International Republican Institute, but were secretly redirected to webpages created by the hackers to steal passwords and other credentials. Both institutions have taken aim at Russian corruption, and on Tuesday the Hudson Institute said in a statement that it was not the first time an authoritarian regime had targeted its work, nor did it expect it to be the last. Microsoft also found websites imitating the US Senate, but not specific Senate offices or political campaigns. Loading Given the exploratory nature of the hearing, many senators conceded it is unlikely that such legislation could pass through the committee or the full Congress in time for Election Day, in November.

Elsewhere in the Senate on Tuesday, the Foreign Relations Committee had begun its own examination of US-Russia relations, with senators grilling other State Department and Treasury Department officials. And later Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to take testimony from law enforcement and intelligence officials on cyber threats to the country's critical infrastructure. All senators were scheduled to receive an additional classified briefing on Wednesday from the Homeland Security secretary, director of national intelligence and the FBI director about the Russian threat and what is being done to blunt it. Top intelligence and law enforcement officials have repeatedly warned that Russia remains active in US politics and has targeted this fall's midterm elections. The report from Microsoft sharpened those warnings. It said that the company had identified and shut down several websites linked to a Russian military intelligence unit that set out to influence the 2016 US elections. That revelation comes less than a month after Facebook disclosed that it had identified a new, ongoing political influence campaign targeting November's elections on its network that showed signs of Russian handiwork. Amid those warnings and the fallout from Trump's July summit with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, senators from both parties have been anxiously debating how to raise the pressure on Moscow.

Two approaches dominate the discussion. Senators Marco Rubio and Chris Van Hollen have drafted legislation to deter Russia from further interference, putting the Kremlin on notice that the United States will enact broad economic sanctions if it does not stand down before the November elections. The competing bill, written by Menendez and Senator Lindsey Graham would seek to immediately drop a package of what they call "crushing" new punishments on the country for actions already underway. The hearings were combative at times, with senators venting that administration officials were dodging simple questions. "One of the things I thought would come from this hearing is a recommendation or a set of recommendations of what Congress might consider legislatively for additional sanctions," said Senator Jerry Moran. "Am I to take from your unwillingness to answer that kind of question that there is opposition by the administration to additional sanctions?"

Mandelker would not give a straight answer, repeatedly telling senators that the Treasury Department had the authority it needs. In the Foreign Relations Committee, senators were clearly frustrated with what they said was a lack of progress in curbing Russian behaviour. "Why, given all the things we are doing are we not making better progress?" asked Senator Rob Portman. "I think sanctions are necessary," he continued, but "it's obviously not working the way we'd like. What would be more effective?" A. Wess Mitchell, an assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, replied that "the chilling effect on the Russian economy has been significant and measurable." New York Times