Sen. Lindsey Graham on Russia’s ‘Wanted’ List Following Comments Made to Ukrainian President in Edited Video

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Russia’s ‘Wanted’ List Following Comments Made to Ukrainian President in Edited Video
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in Washington on May 25, 2022. (Ting Shen/Pool/Getty Images)

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has been put on Russia’s “wanted” list according to reports from Russian media on May 29.

The move comes after a video surfaced last week on Yahoo that shows Graham speaking to Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The video, which appeared to have been edited, shows Graham addressing Zelenskyy and saying that “the Russians are dying,” followed immediately by a subsequent clip of Graham—from a different camera angle—where the U.S. Senator says “The best money we’ve ever spent.” Zelenskyy can then be heard thanking Graham.

However, following the release of the video and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s description of Graham’s remarks as “hate speech,” Ukrainian sources released a less-heavily edited version of the video, which showed more of the meeting. The second version of the video posted by Yahoo appears to show that Graham’s remarks were taken out of context.

In the second video, Zelenskyy is heard thanking the United States for its support: “We know that from first days, we have total support, $38 billion, big, big support, very important.” To which Graham immediately replies: “The best money we’ve ever spent.”

According to a statement by Russia’s Investigative Committee on May 28, a criminal investigation was launched into Graham’s comments. The statement, however, made no mention of what crime Graham was suspected of having committed.

“Lindsey Olin Graham, an American citizen, born on July 9, 1955, is wanted under an article of the Russian Criminal Code,” the agency’s database said, but without specifying the article, according to Tass.

The Russian news agency reported that, “At a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Senator Graham said that the deaths of Russians during the conflict in Ukraine were ‘the best money we’ve [the U.S.] ever spent.'” The agency stated that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had slammed Graham’s words as “an embarrassment for the U.S.”

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of Information, Maria Zakharova, later rowed back somewhat on the Kremlins rhetoric. “If Senator Graham himself, a participant in the events at Bankova St., thinks that his words were taken out of context & he did not mean them, he has every opportunity to make a statement,” she wrote on Twitter. “Pick up a phone, record a video.”

Rejected Claim

The same day the investigation was launched, Graham rejected Russian criticism over his vocal support for Ukraine. Graham went on to say that his remarks were simply aimed at praising the spirit of the Ukrainian people who, with support from Washington, are fending off Russia’s invasion of the country.

“I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor,” Graham wrote in a post on Twitter. “To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy. I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.”

Graham offered to submit to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if the Russian authorities were to seek his arrest. “Come and make your best case,” he wrote. “See you in The Hague!”

Sen. Graham has repeatedly shown vocal support for Ukraine, as well as for increased military support for the country by the United States.

Dozens of U.S. officials and business-people have previously been added to Russia’s stop lists, effectively banning them from entry into the country, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby, as reported by Interfax last year.

Russia has seldom gone a step further by seeking the arrest of senior American officeholders. One of the Kremlin’s top officials, former president Dmitry Medvedev, referred to Graham as an “old fool” for his comments and openly threatened him with assassination, likening his fate to Robert Kennedy, Huey Long, and other American politicians, the Independent reported.

Reuters contributed to this article

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments