Russia’s latest sanctions against US officials turn to Trump foes
Russia has expanded its list of sanctioned Americans in retaliation for the final curbs imposed by the United States. But what is especially striking is how much President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia takes alleged enemies of former President Donald J. Trump as his own.
Below the 500 people handpicked due to travel and financial constraints on Friday, Americans were seen as opponents by Trump, including Letitia James, the New York attorney general who has been investigating and indicting him. Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who rejected pressure from Mr Trump to reverse the result of the 2020 election, was also on the list. And Lieutenant Michael Byrd, the Capitol police officer who shot pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt on January 6, 2021, was another notable name.
None of these three have anything to do with Russian policy and the only reason they would have come to Moscow’s attention is because Mr. Trump has publicly attacked them. Russia’s foreign ministry did not specifically explain why they would be included in the list, but did say that targets included “those in the government and law enforcement agencies directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the aftermath of the so-called storming of the Capitol.”
Just this month, Mr. Trump has sought to rewrite that day’s history and pardoned convicted rioters if elected to a second term. He also refused to commit to supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia if he is elected president again, saying he would instead try to mediate between Kiev and Moscow.
Presumably, the Russian sanctions will have little effect on Ms. James, Mr. Raffensperger and Lieutenant Byrd, as none of them are known to have assets in Russia or plan to travel there. Mr Raffensperger reposted a tweet from Gabriel Sterling, his chief operating officer, who wrote: “A great honor to @GaSecofState Raffensperger. He is one of hundreds of Americans exiled from Russia by Vladimir Putin. That means Brad is doing well.”