Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has been placed on a list of “extremists and terrorists” in Russia after the lawmaker called for the country to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism.
Russian news outlets reported on Tuesday that Graham had been added to the register by the country’s state financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring. State-run TASS noted Graham’s history of calling for penalties against Russia.
“There goes all my rubles!” Graham quipped on X in response to the listing. “I call your ‘terrorists and extremists’ bid and raise you ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism under U.S. law.’ Believe it or not, 2024 is going to be a bad year for Putin’s Russia.”
Graham shared a list that included: “More aid to Ukraine,” “More high-end weapons that can reach out and touch the Russian occupiers,” “Designation of Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism,” and “Expansion of NATO.”
I call your “terrorists and extremists” bid and raise you “State Sponsor of Terrorism under U.S. law.”
Believe it or not, 2024 is going to be a bad year for Putin’s Russia.
✅More aid to Ukraine
✅More high-end weapons that can reach out and touch the Russian occupiers.…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 20, 2024
In an interview that aired over the weekend, Graham said imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny was “murdered” by Russian leader Vladimir Putin and pushed for Moscow to face consequences.
“I just got off the phone with two Democratic senators. Let’s make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law. Let’s make them pay a price for killing [Navalny],” Graham said on CBS.
“It would allow the [Navalny] family to go to U.S. court and sue Putin’s Russia for killing of their loved one. A state sponsored terrorism designation is a game changer. It would allow more sanctions, it would open up the American courtroom,” he added.
Russian authorities said on Friday that Navalny, whom supporters insist was imprisoned on trumped-up charges, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony after he started to feel ill and lost consciousness. Navalny’s family is now engaged in a clash with Russia to secure the release of his body.
While Graham suggested legislation may come this week, the White House said on Tuesday the Biden administration will unveil new sanctions against Russia on Friday in response to Navalny’s death and Russia’s two-year war in Ukraine.
Russia issued a warrant seeking Graham’s arrest in May of last year after the release of an edited video that made it appear the lawmaker was celebrating the United States spending money on the killing of Russians in Ukraine.
In response, Graham boasted of being a wanted man in Russia, saying he would “stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.”
He also made an “offer” to Putin, alluding to how the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do,” Graham said. “Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!”
