There have been some very mixed messages coming out of the White House over additional Russia sanctions.
On Sunday, Trump's U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley announced on Face the Nation that new sanctions would be coming soon against Russia for their support of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Haley was clear that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin would be "announcing those on Monday."
Then, later Sunday, Donald Trump apparently expressed his misgivings about executing additional sanctions against Russia and deployed Sarah Sanders the next day to walk back Haley's claim.
Sanders told the press that the administration was simply “considering additional sanctions on Russia” and that “a decision will be made in the near future.”
When pressed for an explanation on the competing claims, Trump's National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said Haley “got ahead of the curve.”
“She’s done a great job. She’s been a great ambassador, but there might have been some momentary confusion about that. But if you talk to [US Treasury Secretary] Steve Mnuchin ... he will tell you the same thing. They’re in charge of this.”
Haley immediately hit back in a statement read live on Fox News:
"With all due respect, I don’t get confused."
Kudlow tried to walk back his walk back, saying “She was certainly not confused. I was wrong to say that — totally wrong.”
But the damage was done. Haley's credibility is shot.
Haley was cheered on, by conservatives...
And media alike:
@LeeMerrittesq/X
@bob_moss/X
@jelanijones/Bluesky
@Aurkayne/X
@sadcommunistdog; @froglok/Bluesky