Trump, inexplicably, says he has 'been much tougher on Russia than Obama'

President Trump declared on Tuesday, without evidence or explanation, that he has been “much tougher on Russia” than President Obama.

It’s not clear which facts Trump is referring to. In December 2016, Obama issued unprecedented sanctions against Russia for Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, ordering 35 Russian diplomats to leave the U.S., and the closure of two Russian compounds.

“Russia’s cyberactivities were intended to influence the election, erode faith in U.S. democratic institutions, sow doubt about the integrity of our electoral process, and undermine confidence in the institutions of the U.S. government,” the Obama White House said in a statement. “These actions are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Trump repeatedly rejected the assertions by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia was behind the hacking. And the president has still has not put into effect new sanctions — passed by large majorities in Congress last year — that were designed to punish the Kremlin and deter it from interfering in the 2018 midterms. And in October, the Trump administration missed a deadline to publish a list of Russian entities and individuals in the military and intelligence sectors subject to sanctions.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump pointed to comments his predecessor made less than a month before the 2016 election: “There is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rig America’s elections,” Obama said in October 2017, responding to Trump’s repeated claims that the vote would be “rigged” in favor of the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

Source: Yahoo News