Trump Administration Finally Sanctions Russian Hackers

After months of inaction, the Trump administration has begrudgingly imposed sanctions on Russian actors who worked to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

From The Washington Post:

The Trump administration on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on Russian government hackers and spy agencies to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and for a cyberattack against Ukraine and other countries last year that officials have characterized as “the most destructive and costly” in history.

Sanctions also were imposed on individuals known as “trolls” and the Russian organizations — including the Internet Research Agency — that supported their efforts to undermine the election. Additionally, the administration alerted the public that Russia is targeting the U.S. energy grid with computer malware that could sabotage its systems.

Taken together, the moves represent the administration’s most aggressive actions to date against Russia for its incursions against the United States, though analysts say their impact is mostly symbolic and noted that a number of the individuals and groups had already been subject to sanctions.

Nonetheless, officials hope the actions will help deter tampering with this year’s midterm elections while signaling to Russia that Washington will not allow its attacks to go unchallenged.

Most political experts are saying these sanctions will not any effect on any of the actual power players in Russia.

On @AriMelber @sethwaxman & @NatashaBertrand

Trump's sanctions were simply "a carbon copy" of those Mueller had already indicted & exposed

They did not touch the oligarchs that Trump may have been involved in a criminal conspiracy with, they do not hit Putin where it hurts

— UNITE & FIGHT (@stopthenutjob) March 15, 2018

This is not the sanctions package Congress passed. Absent a credible deterrent – which Trump continues to neglect – Russia will continue its information warfare and malign activities.

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) March 15, 2018

These sanctions issued by the U.S. Treasury Department are NOT the sanctions which Congress passed last year. These sanctions do NOT directly or indirectly punish Putin or the Kremlin in any way. Don't let the WH trick you into believing otherwise.

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— Ed Krassenstein 💎 (@EdKrassen) March 15, 2018