President Trump will reportedly announce soon that the U.S. will sanction foreigners whom intelligence agencies accuse of interfering in U.S. elections.
Citing “two sources familiar with the matter,” Reuters news agency said Tuesday evening that the executive order could be signed as soon as Wednesday.
One U.S. official told the British news agency that sanctions could hit both individuals or entire companies who meddle in U.S. elections via cyberattacks or other methods.
“The administration is keen to set a new norm in cyberspace,” the official told Reuters. “This is a first step in stating boundaries and publicly announcing our response for bad behavior.”
U.S. intelligence and homeland-security agencies have ramped up to defenses against foreign interference in advance of the Nov. 6 congressional election, although President Trump frequently derides a special-counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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