Cory Gardner: State Department needs to consider adding Russia as a state sponsor of terror

Sen. Cory Gardner said Tuesday that the State Department needs to determine whether Russia should be considered a state sponsor of terrorism.

“Vladimir Putin understands strength and capitalizes on weakness, and what the United States needs to do now is show strength. That’s why I believe that the State Department, within 90 days — legislation that I’m going to be pursing — ought to determine whether or not Russia should be identified as a state sponsor of terror,” Mr. Gardner, Colorado Republican, said on Fox News.

The senator said he had not talked to the White House or the president about his proposal, but said he looks forward to having these conversations. Mr. Gardner said there does need to be a conversation about whether Russia has taken actions that require higher punishment than sanctions.

“The State Department needs to determine whether Russia has exceeded simple sanctions and moved on to what should be a critical watershed moment and become a state sponsor of terror,” he said.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Sunday that sanctions against Russia were coming soon after their threat to retaliate against any U.S. airstrikes in Syria. Russia has backed the Assad regime even after reports of chemical weapons use, which both countries deny.

The Trump administration seemed to back away from that pledge from Mrs. Haley on Monday, however, saying that sanctions were “being considered.”