Lawmaker warns U.S. congress to combat Russian propaganda if Tillerson does not – Letter

Washington, Aug.  7, 2017 (Sputnik/NAN) Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel warned that Congress would draft laws to force the Trump administration to combat alleged Russian propaganda if Secretary of State Rex Tillerson failed to do so.

In a letter published on Monday, Engel said, :“ I urge you to come up with a strategy and work with Congress to implement it at once.

“Otherwise, the House and Senate will look for legislative alternatives to direct the Administration to treat the threats of Russia and ISIS [Islamic State] with the seriousness they deserve.”

Engel’s letter referred to reports that Tillerson is resisting the State Department officials who want to spend some 80 million dollars allocated by Congress to counter terrorist propaganda and alleged disinformation by Russia.

“It seems again that this administration just isn’t getting the message about Russia, so let me put it plainly: Russia is not America’s friend. President [Vladimir] Putin attacked American democracy.

“He wants to splinter Western unity and undermine our alliances. His actions merit a tough response, not the coddling that President Trump seems determined to offer him,” Engel wrote.

The congressman also rejected Trump’s assertion in a recent Twitter post that Congress is to blame for deteriorating U.S. relations with Russia.

“Despite what the President tweets, Putin, not Congress, is responsible for the tensions between the United States and Russia,” Engel wrote.

Engel was referring to widely circulated accusations that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election.

Russia denies meddling in the vote, and the Kremlin insists that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.(Sputnik/NAN)

OYE/SH