CBS News confirms that an executive order that will sanction individuals and entities that meddle in U.S. elections is in the final stages of development and could be rolled out as soon as Wednesday, according to sources familiar with its drafting.
According to the sources, the executive order does not mention Russia by name. Instead, it depends on implementation and is structured a bit like the DETER bill (Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines Act of 2018) which was introduced by the Senators Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, earlier this year.
Under the order, the government would punish intelligence community findings of foreign interference in U.S. elections with penalties against culprits, as well as the threat of more penalties. There is some frustration among lawmakers that with this executive order, President Trump could be undercutting congressional efforts. Reuters first reported the existence of the draft executive order.
Rubio’s and Van Hollen’s bill is sure to come up at a Senate Banking Committee hearing Wednesday on tools to counter Russia.
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