Thune: Dems Kept Measure to Stand Against Russia by Sanctioning Nord Stream 2 from Getting 60 Votes it Needed

On Thursday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow,” Senate Minority Whip Sen. John Thune (R-SD) expressed disappointment that Democratic opposition kept Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) measure to reimpose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from meeting the 60-vote threshold it needed to pass.

Thune said, [relevant remarks begin around 3:40] “And actually, there were six Democrats who voted for it. So, we actually ended up — we lost one Republican, so there were 55 votes in favor. But it was a supermajority threshold. It was 60 votes to pass it. … And clearly, this Nord Stream 2 project is incredibly important to Russia. It’s incredibly important to Ukraine, to Poland, to some of our allies that we try and stop this thing and keep them from further solidifying their hold on that region of the world. And it’s — again, I can’t explain why the Democrats are doing it, but I think it’s a big mistake for them.”

Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) were the six Democrats who voted for the measure. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the lone Republican to vote in opposition.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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