Trump EO Exempts Russia From Graham-Blumenthal Sanctions — SkimNews
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- Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from the Graham-Blumenthal bill's core sanctions, including a 500% ad valorem tariff on Russian goods and 100% duties on the top five Russian oil importers and sanctions-evasion facilitators.
- Trump also waived the bill's monitoring clause — the mechanism meant to track compliance — effectively neutralizing the legislation's enforcement tool.
- The article frames Graham-Blumenthal as a "shell game," arguing the bill was structurally built so Trump would always hold ultimate power and could protect Russia while appearing to sanction it.
- The executive order came less than three weeks before US midterm elections, the same week as two other pro-Russia moves: a Russian diesel purchase and Starlink/Spaceshield limitations on Ukrainian military operations.
- O'Brien argues the bill is unlikely to be deployed against China, which he calls "the country most at risk" per the legislation's text, though it could still be wielded against Ukraine's European partners.
- Phillips P. O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrew, argues the visible pro-Putin moves reinforce corruption — now Americans' top concern in one poll — as a midterm issue.
Why it matters: Trump's executive order neutralizes the only bipartisan Russia-sanctions vehicle on the table less than three weeks before midterms, converting Congress's own bill into a shield for Moscow. By waiving even the monitoring clause, the administration has eliminated the enforcement architecture, making it harder for a future Congress to reconstruct sanctions authority and forcing the corruption narrative into the campaign.
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