Republican opposition to Trump's 'Russian energy appeasement'... Aspects of US passport internal strife (comprehensive)

(Washington = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hong Jeong-gyu = The US Republican Party and the administration are showing signs of infighting over US President Donald Trump's sudden cancellation of high tariffs on major importers of Russian crude oil and natural gas.

It all started when President Trump announced on the 16th (local time) that he would exercise his authority to exempt tariffs and restrictions under the 'Lindsey Graham Russia-Iran Sanctions Act' (Graham Act).

The key to this law, named after the late former U.S. Senator Graham (Republican, South Carolina), who was President Trump's closest ally in Congress, is to impose tariffs of up to 100% on all products entering the United States from the top five importing countries of Russian crude oil and natural gas.

On the 18th of last month, President Trump signed the bill, which passed bipartisanly in Congress with the support of former Congressman Graham, and 30 days later, just before the law went into effect, President Trump himself withdrew it.

Criticism of President Trump's decision has continued to increase not only from the Democratic Party but also from some parts of the Republican Party. Not only Republican politicians who have differed from President Trump, but even Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who is classified as a 'loyalist', had a question mark.

Chairman Johnson appeared on Fox News on the 18th and said that concerns had formed among members of the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committees about President Trump's actions, and that "we must carefully review the unintended consequences that may follow."

Senator Darlene Graham, former Senator Graham's younger sister and running as a Republican candidate in the midterm elections to succeed him, publicly opposed it the day before, saying, "I will choose to maintain pressure on Russia to end the war and lower gasoline prices."

Criticism continued within the Republican Party, with Senator Thom Tillis (North Carolina) calling this measure "beyond irresponsible," Senator John Cornyn (Texas) saying former Congressman Graham would have been "appalled," and Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) calling it a "mistake."

Administration ministers defended President Trump's actions for two days in a row. This is a measure aimed at ensuring that Russia releases large quantities of diesel into the U.S. and global markets. It was the same logic as the 'transit deal' agreed to on the 9th by President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with reporters at Joint Base Andrews the day before and said, “The (Russian) diesel fuel was going to be sold in some way.”

Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared on ABC that day and emphasized that the exemption was not an "economic lifeline" for Russia, but "a carrot offered to end the war."

“This is an incentive to Russia: if they can reduce the conflict with Ukraine, if they can get a ceasefire in the energy sector or if they can reduce the conflict so they can get diesel fuel to export, then they will allow it to flow into the global market,” Wright said.

“European countries have given more money to Russia and Putin than they have given to Ukraine,” Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said on NBC. “They continue to be greedy consumers of Russian energy.” He countered the criticism by saying that ‘Europe is importing more than the United States.’

Axios, an American online media outlet, pointed out that Secretary Rubio's claim that 'it was going to be exported anyway' and Secretary Wright's claim that it was 'an inducement to end the war' sound contradictory.

This conflict between the U.S. ruling party shows the dilemma between President Trump and the Republican Party in the face of soaring commodity prices ahead of the midterm elections. It also appears to reflect the limitations of U.S. foreign policy, which cannot find a solution to the Iran and Ukraine wars.

President Trump's position is that the price of diesel soared because of Ukraine's attack on Russian oil refineries, not the war with Iran, for which he is responsible. Experts point to the Iran war as a bigger cause, but admitting this would be contradictory to his declaration that 'the Strait of Hormuz is open.'

President Trump appears to be finding a breakthrough with the recent diesel deal and exemption from enforcement of the Graham Act while urging an 'energy truce' with Russia and Ukraine. However, not only will it be difficult for the Republican Party, which passed the law through bipartisan agreement, to accept it, but there are also concerns that it will face the backlash of only siding with Russia and ignoring its allies.

As the Republican Party's defeat in the midterm elections deepens amid the surge in fuel prices and the prolongation of the war with Iran, the centrifugal force of the Republican Party to distance itself from the Trump administration is likely to increase.