As Congress worked to pass a sanctions bill hitting Russia for its interference in the 2016 election, Donald Trump was working to stop them.
Trump expressed frustration over a bipartisan bill sanctioning Russia and tried to convince Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that it wasn't good policy, according to three people familiar with the call. Trump argued that the legislation was unconstitutional and said it would damage his presidency. Corker was unrelenting, these people said, and told Trump the bill was going to pass both houses with bipartisan support.
At the beginning of August, Donald Trump reluctantly signed the Russia sanctions bill—though not without attaching comments that the bill contained unconstitutional limits on the president’s power. Before that, Trump allowed it to sit on his desk without action for over a week. If it had gone past ten days, it might have faced a “pocket veto.” However, since Congress was still in session due to the extended attempt to pass the healthcare bill, the sanctions would have gone into effect in any case, even without Trump’s signature.
Trump didn’t stop with trying to block the sanctions bill. He also tried to stop a bill that would limit his ability to dismiss Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump dialed up Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Aug. 7, two days before a blunt call with the Senate majority leader that spilled over into a public feud. Tillis is working with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on a bill designed to protect Robert Mueller, the independent counsel investigating the president's Russia connections, from any attempt by Trump to fire him.
Trump’s attacks on senators and congressmembers who cross him have become more and more frequent. But oddly enough, he hasn’t mentioned Corker’s refusal to give in on Russian sanctions or Tillis’s and Coons’s unwillingness to halt the bill protecting Mueller.
Many senators and congressmembers had complained about Trump not being willing to get involved in legislation, that he doesn’t lobby for the things he wants or provide cover to those working for his positions. But these calls show that there is one area where Trump is willing to work behind the scenes.
"It seems he is just always focused on Russia," one senior GOP aide said.
Trump has also expressed frustration that Mitch McConnell and others would not give him protection from the Russian investigation. Trump tried to get James Comey to stop the investigation. He has also been vocal about his disappointment when Jefferson Sessions recused himself rather than stepping in.
