In a major rebuke of President Trump, the House overwhelming passed a resolution today formally disapproving of the Trump administration’s rolling back of sanctions on companies owned by Oleg Deripaska.
Deripaska is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a 262-53 vote, the House sounded its disapproval of the lifting of sanctions, with 130 Republicans breaking with Trump and backing the Democratic measure.
But the vote was more symbolic than meaningful.
Yesterday, legislation to prevent the rolling back of sanctions failed on a procedural vote in the Senate.
The Senate vote means the administration can go ahead with lifting sanctions on the companies connected to Deripaska.
Eleven Republicans voted in the Senate to prevent the lifting of sanctions.
The 57-42 vote fell short of the 60 needed to continue the sanctions.
The administration had lobbied hard against the effort to stop the lifting of sanctions.
“Oleg Deripaska understands better than most Russian oligarchs how money buys influence in Washington,” said Michael R. Carpenter, a former National Security Council official during the Obama administration. “It seems like he’s now using that knowledge to try to save his skin.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff is sinking panel resources into a robust investigative staff to revive the probe into Trump’s ties to Russia with roughly seven committee staffers directing their energy full-time.