Joseph Biden actually said...

U.S. sanctions have been a very powerful and visible bipartisan signal of U.S. policy of standing firm on democracy.

Next door, in Burundi, President Nkurunziza's unconstitutional election to a third term last year sparked violence.

I introduced a resolution calling for targeted sanctions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Changing or ignoring those rules risks breaking that trust and sending a society towards turmoil and instability.