Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) mocked Russia for adding him to its list of “terrorists and extremists” after the senator called for the state to be penalized over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“I call your “terrorists and extremists” bid and raise you ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism under U.S. law,’” he added.
Mr. Graham, in his follow-up post, warned that “Believe it or not, 2024 is going to be a bad year for Putin’s Russia,” citing that there will be “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 the expansion of NATO.
However, a foreign aid package that overwhelmingly passed the Senate last week has stalled in Congress as the House GOP has come out against it, citing a lack of border security provisions as the GOP has called for tougher border measures in exchange for helping Kyiv.
A package that would have given aid to Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific and implemented tougher border measures failed in the Senate due to GOP opposition. Mr. Graham voted against that package and the successive one.
Russia’s financial watchdog added the hawkish Mr. Graham to its list of “terrorists and extremists,” reported Russian state media outlet TASS.
Mr. Graham has called for the United States to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism following the death of Mr. Navalny, who died while incarcerated in a Russian penal colony in the Arctic Circle. Russia announced Mr. Navalny’s death on Feb. 16. He was 47 years old.
“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 he was murdered by Putin,” Mr. Graham told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Feb. 18.
Mr. Navalny returned to Russia from Germany in January 2021 despite knowing he would be taken into Russian custody.
“Why don’t we do this: I just got off the phone with two Democratic senators,“ Mr. Graham told CBS News. ”Let’s make Russia a state sponsor of terrorism under U.S. law. Let’s make them pay a price for killing Navalny.”
“President [Joe] Biden told [Russian President Vladimir] 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,” he added.
Last year, Russia issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Graham.
“To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy,“ he continued. ”I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.”
Mr. Graham went on to say, “Finally, here’s an offer to my Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime as being war criminals:
“I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do.
“Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!”
The Hague is in Holland.
The United States is scheduled to announce on Feb. 23 a sanctions package in response to Mr. Navalny’s death, said the Biden administration on Feb. 20. The delay in announcing the sanctions is due to the time it takes to put together the package, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
