US state senator calls for Russian booze ban

A lawmaker in the US state of New Hampshire has proposed a ban on Russian alcohol in response to reports of interference in the presidential election.

Senator Jeff Woodburn, D-Whitefield, plans to establish a bipartisan commission to recommend potential actions after US intelligence officials concluded that Russian president Vladimir Putin had ordered an influence campaign to help Donald Trump win the election.

The proposal calls for “the suspension or cessation of” New Hampshire Liquor Commission purchases of alcohol made in Russia, and requests that the state’s commemorative ‘Old Man on the Mountain’ bottles contain vodka made in the US rather than in Russia.

In the proposal, Woodburn states that it is “more than reasonable” for New Hampshire to “at least evaluate whether and how to respond” to Russian interference.

“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, both in the United States and here in New Hampshire,” it reads.

“Foreign interference in our elections only undermines our constitutional democracy, our electoral process, and our independence and sovereignty.”

A declassified report revealed that Putin “personally directed” an influence campaign in 2016, designed to “undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency”