Menéndez Will Push Trump to Say If UK Spy Attack Makes Russia Terror Sponsor

Senator Bob Menéndez (D-NJ), the Ranking Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the Trump administration to work with the United Kingdom, following British Prime Minister Theresa May’s announcement that it was “highly likely” Russia ordered the poisoning in England of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Citing the Trump administration’s designation of North Korea as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” following the poisoning of Kim Jong Un’s relative in Thailand, Menéndez called on Donald Trump to consider if a similar designation should apply to Russia. A 1991 law requires that the president decide if a state has used a chemical weapon -- in this case, Novichok, a nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s -- and impose sanctions. According to the law, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee can trigger the determination process. In a statement, Menéndez says he will “move forward quickly” to push the president on the issue. “Once again, I call on the Trump Administration to recognize the danger the Russian government continues to pose to Americans and our friends around the world. The United States and the many allies of the United Kingdom must stand ready to support her in the aftermath of this brazen attack.” Yesterday, Donald Trump told reporters that "It sounds to me like it would be Russia, based on all the evidence they have." More here.