Senator Lindsey Graham has been added to Russia’s list of foreign terrorists, Politico reported on Tuesday.
“Russian state media first reported that Graham (R-SC), a long-time Russia hawk, had been added to the list, which is monitored by Rosfinmonitoring, the country’s state financial watchdog. That followed Graham blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death in prison last week,” reported Kelly Garrity. “The 47-year-old Navalny’s death spurred international shock and outrage, though the top Putin critic was repeatedly targeted in recent years and was previously subjected to imprisonment and poisoning. His death came a month before a presidential election in Russia, where Putin is set to extend his more than two-decade term leading the country.”
“Navalny was one of the bravest people I ever met. When he went back to Russia he had to know he was going to be killed by Putin, and Putin murdered him,” said Graham in a Sunday appearance on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.”
“President Biden told Putin, if something happens to Navalny, you’re going to pay a price. President Biden, I agree with you, the price they should pay is to make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.”
Graham is a longtime supporter of former President Donald Trump — but the two differ greatly in their attitudes on Russia, most particularly in Graham’s strong support for military assistance to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion and commitment to bolstering the NATO alliance. Trump has indicated he would leave NATO allies to be invaded by foreign powers if they don’t increase their military spending.
This is not the first time the Russian government has singled out Graham as a person of interest under their totalitarian justice system.
Last May, after Graham toured war zones in Ukraine and appeared to proclaim U.S. military assistance to the country to kill invading Russians the “best money we’ve ever spent” — comments some observers said were taken out of context — Russia’s Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for the Republican senator. Leaked documents earlier this month detail an active investigation against him by Russian authorities, with him being one of many politicians around the world supportive of Ukraine marked for arrest in that country.
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