Russia goes after Donald Trump's enemies
Russia has announced an additional 500 U.S. citizens are barred from the country in response to new U.S. sanctions over Russia's war with Ukraine.
www.newsweek.com
Russia has hit back at U.S. sanctions by banning another 500 Americans from entering the country—and the list includes some well-known antagonists of former President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Friday it was imposing more than 300 new sanctions on Russia with the aim of further degrading "the Russian Federation's capacity to wage war against Ukraine."
In response, that same day, Russia's Foreign Ministry published a list of 500 U.S. citizens barred from entering the country. This adds to the more than 1,300 individuals who were already barred as tensions between Russia and the West spiked following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia's latest list features individuals that Trump has attacked or criticized or some who have publicly rebuked him, but who appear to have little involvement in U.S. policy towards Russia.
Most notably, they include Letitia James, the state attorney general of New York who has launched a civil business fraud lawsuit against Trump and his company.
In February 2022, the former president hit out at James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg—who are both Black—saying two New York investigations into his businesses were "racist" attacks against him. "After five years of constant bombardment, this political and racist attack must stop. Look to the murderers, drug dealers and rapists instead," Trump said in a statement.
Also on the list is Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel who has launched an investigation into Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election result as well as his handling of classified documents post-presidency.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who was subpoenaed by Smith as part of his election investigation, was also named on the Kremlin's list.
Following the election, Raffensperger rebuffed Trump's pressure to "find" enough votes to reverse the results.
Trump attacked Raffensperger after the 2020 election for failing to investigate unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in his state. "I love the Great State of Georgia, but the people who run it, from the Governor, @BrianKempGA [Brian Kemp], to the Secretary of State, are a complete disaster and don't have a clue, or worse. Nobody can be this stupid," he said on Twitter in December 2020.
Lieutenant Michael Byrd, the Capitol Police officer who shot and killed Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt on January 6, 2021, was also barred.
Although the Kremlin had always denied interference, Trump's relationship with Russia was the focus of scrutiny during his presidency and U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Moscow interfered in the 2016 and 2020 elections to help him. Trump has repeatedly denied allegations of collusion with Russia.
The individuals in the list have each had public clashes or criticisms about or from Trump but none have influence on U.S. policies regarding Russia.
The Russian press release attempted to explain their inclusion on the list and suggested it was part of a wider message to Washington.
"The attached 'List-500" also includes those in government and law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called Storming the Capitol," the press release said according to a Google translation.
The release continued: "It is high time for Washington to learn that not a single hostile attack against Russia will be left without a strong reaction.
"The principle of the inevitability of punishment will be consistently applied, whether we are talking about tougher sanctions pressure or discriminatory steps to hinder the professional activities of our fellow citizens."
Other names from the new Kremlin list that were highlighted by MSNBC Morning Joe show were former President Barack Obama, White House adviser Anita Dunn, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Rachel Maddow and former host Brian Williams.
The full list of now-barred individuals, including the newly added 500, can be viewed here.
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