President Donald J. Trump did not have a public ceremony today when he signed H.R. 3364, the "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act," as he is known to do, but made up for it by apparently releasing two separate statements online, calling the bill both "seriously flawed" and "significantly flawed."
The bill, introduced by Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and widely supported by both parties in Congress, not only directs Trump to impose new sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, but impedes his ability to unilaterally lift some sanctions on Russia.
In the statements online, Trump criticized the legislation for constraining executive power, potentially putting American companies at a disadvantage and hurting European allies.
"Congress could not even negotiate a healthcare bill after seven years of talking. By limiting the Executive’s flexibility, this bill makes it harder for the United States to strike good deals for the American people, and will drive China, Russia, and North Korea much closer together. The Framers of our Constitution put foreign affairs in the hands of the President. This bill will prove the wisdom of that choice," one of the statements said. "Yet despite its problems, I am signing this bill for the sake of national unity. It represents the will of the American people to see Russia take steps to improve relations with the United States. We hope there will be cooperation between our two countries on major global issues so that these sanctions will no longer be necessary."
[UPDATE: White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said the two separate Trump statements were on purpose, one "signing statement" and one "press statement."]
Primary Source: Read the text of the bill.
Related: Putin, Responding to Sanctions, Orders U.S. to Cut Diplomatic Staff by 755 (NYTimes)