A U.S. Senate panel has passed a bill that is designed to punish Russia for its alleged interference in democratic processes abroad as well as “malign” actions in Syria and aggression against Ukraine. The bipartisan bill — described by Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina), who is a co-sponsor, as the “sanctions bill from hell” — was approved 17 to 5 by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 18. If the committee approves the bill, the Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DASKA), it would move forward for votes in the full House of Representatives and Senate. To become law it would need to pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by President Donald Trump, and that is not expected to happen until next year. First introduced in 2018, DASKA is the latest Russian-related legislation to be discussed on Capitol Hill in recent weeks as Congress wraps […]