‘Dovish’ Donald Trump faces GOP hawks on hacking

Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump’s opposition to President Barack Obama’s retaliation against Russia for trying to influence the US election will immediately pit him against the hawkish wing of the Republican party. And it soon could force him to veto additional penalties supported by his own party.

Mr Obama on Thursday ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking US political groups in the 2016 presidential election.

Republican lawmakers who are influential on Capitol Hill on defence and foreign policy issues had called for the White House to respond with even sharper elbows. Some have issued dire assessments of what the Kremlin-backed hacking means for the US, and suggested they will join with Democrats to propose even stiffer penalties on Russia — meaning Mr Trump appears on a collision course with his party.

By aligning with Democrats rather than backing the incoming GOP President, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain, and others are signalling just one of a number of areas that could leave Mr Trump’s early months dominated by Republican infighting.

“The retaliatory measures announced by the Obama administration today are long overdue,” Mr McCain and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, another GOP member of the committee, said in a statement. “But they are a small price for Russia to pay for its brazen attack on American democracy.”

The duo says they plan to “lead the effort in the new Congress to impose stronger sanctions on Russia,” showing Mr Trump and a large faction of his party’s caucus disagree.

Mr Trump suggested this week that the hacking matter should be put to rest. But Mr McCain says Russia’s actions “threaten democracy.”

 “This is the sign of a possible unravelling of the world order that was established after World War II,” Mr McCain said.