Expect the Democrats to be toughter on Russia, and depending on what the Muller investigation concludes in terms of any 2016 election collusion,that would have an impact as well.

Expect the Democrats to be toughter on Russia —— 这是 expect 接复合宾语结构。 to be toughter on Russia 是宾语补足语，不是定语。定语讲不通，不符合逻辑。又如：

We expect you to visit our company.