(CNN) The day before US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley went on national television saying that new sanctions would be announced against Russia, the White House sent out a list of talking points to surrogates advocating such a move. But the day after she announced sanctions would be coming, the White House contradicted itself, abruptly saying it would not be following through with the sanctions.

CNN obtained an email distributed by the White House on Saturday morning, April 14, outlining the administration's response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria. The talking points said, "We also intend to impose specific additional sanctions against Russia to respond to Moscow's ongoing support for the Assad regime, which has enabled the regime's atrocities against the Syrian people. "

It is unclear whether these were the talking points Haley was using when she made her TV appearance.

The talking points in the email included wording criticizing Russia for standing "in the way of every effort the United States and our partners have taken over the past year" as well as for repeatedly undermining international efforts to "pressure the [Syrian] regime to surrender its remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and completely destroy its program."

Surrogates were told to point out that Russia "used its veto power six times over the past year to block UN Security Council resolutions" that would have held Syria accountable for using chemical weapons and that, "Most egregiously, Russia took away the world's ability to attribute the chemical weapons attacks in Syria by vetoing the renewal of the UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism -- an impartial, independent technical body mandated to investigate responsibility for chemical weapons use in Syria."

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