By Dawn Ennis
Nearly 1,000 Americans from all walks of life in politics and business, journalism, entertainment, religion, and national defense have been declared personae non grata in Russia, in a largely symbolic gesture that has nevertheless caused great sorrow.
In particular, 963 citizens, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris – as well as her husband Doug Emhoff – entered the “black list” of Russian President Vladimir Putin last Saturday, or the “stop list” of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ban on entry to Russia for 963 Americans came in retaliation for US sanctions against Moscow for invading Ukraine, but also for the humanitarian and military assistance provided by Washington to Kyiv.
The list includes former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, but, according to the Washington Post, a top name is missing: former President Donald Trump. Of the key members of the Trump administration, only one has been targeted by the Kremlin: former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Former President Barack Obama and his predecessors were also not included in the Kremlin list. Unlike a number of Biden and Obama administration executives, hundreds of Democrats and Republicans, tech businessmen and media people – not one from Fox News. Among the rest of the list is Rich Eychaner: businessman and LGBT activist.
According to blog Lucas Countyan, Eychaner founded the Gay Coalition of Iowa and co-founded the first Iowa Caucus Project, which promoted the rights of the LGBT community during the presidential campaign. He was also a member of the Board of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, chairman of the Iowa Civil Rights Committee, a member of the Board of the Gay Men’s Choir in De Moine, and co-founder of the Pride Network in Iowa. In 2007, Eychaner participated in the LGBT + Citizens’ Initiative in Iowa, which pressured then-Governor Chet Culver to add sexual orientation and gender identity to protected categories under the Civil Rights Act.
The real estate entrepreneur has also created the Eychaner Foundation, which supports the Matthew Shepard Scholarship for LGBT + Iowa high school students, as well as the Howard and Mildred Eychaner Minority Scholarship program for graduate students. DeKalb High School in the same state.
Unlike the “Red Terror” era of the 1950s, when dozens of Hollywood stars were blacklisted as “sympathizers” of communism, Putin’s list includes just two names from Tinsel Town’s “cinematic” neighborhood: Jeffrey Katzenberg and Morgan Freeman, the 84-year-old Oscar-winning actor who has played presidents, vice presidents, Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, and even God.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that in 2017 Freeman “videotaped a message in which he accused Russia of conspiracy against the United States and called for a fight against our country.”
In the video of the Committee to Investigate Russia, which sought to raise awareness among Americans about Russian involvement in the US presidential election, Freeman said, “We were attacked” and “We are at war.” .
Also on the list are politicians who have passed away: John McCain who died in 2018 at the age of 81, Harry M. Wright who passed away last December at the age of 82 and Orin J. Hatch, who died in April at the age of 88.
There are 86 people who are simply referred to as “American citizens”. In addition, rabbis, a judge in Iowa, executives from defense companies, and a professor of history at Yale University were included.
Among the “big ones” in technology are Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft President Brad Smith. David Ignatius of The Post, George Stefanopoulos of the New Yorker, Susan Glasser of the New Yorker, Bret Stephens of the New York Times and Bianna Golodryga of CNN, who was born in the former Soviet Republic, were declared undesirable on Russian soil. of Moldova. Golodryga immigrated to the United States while still a child.
Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote on Twitter that he considered the sanctions against him “a mark of honor from a barbaric butcher.”
Putin has banned me from Russia — a badge of honor from a barbaric butcher. My message back: America must expand military aid, humanitarian aid, & crippling economic measures to assure brave, fierce Ukrainian fighters defeat you. https://t.co/6hhcLFiNHy
– Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) May 21, 2022
Senate Democrat Chuck Sumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are also on Putin’s “blacklist,” but neither are Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell or Republican Sen. Polsti. According to the Washington Post, Paul delayed the Senate vote last week on sending aid to Ukraine – he was the only senator to disagree. The Senate finally approved the aid mission to Kyiv, and on Saturday Biden signed a decree on a new $ 40 billion military and humanitarian aid package to Ukraine.
In February, former US President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had made a “genius” decision when he ordered Russian troops to cross the border for his so-called “peacekeeping mission”.
A multi-faceted presence on the Russian “stop list” for the heads of the US Army and National Defense: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and General Mark Miley, Chief of the General Staff of the Army, certainly stand out.
The list also includes controversial figures such as Hunter Biden and billionaire George Soros. “Soros is something of a bumblebee for Russia and right-wing conspiracy theorists thanks to his philanthropic support for liberals as well as groups in the former Soviet bloc,” the Post said in a statement.
Former White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki tweeted ironically about being included in the list: “I guess we should cancel our family trip to Moscow in August …”
I guess we will have to cancel our August family trip to Moscow… https://t.co/wthx35BDdJ
– Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) May 22, 2022
Former Vice President Mike Pence is not on the list, but neither is his brother Greg Pence. The list includes a total of 212 Republicans from the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as 224 Democrats from both houses of parliament.
Three Republican supporters of Trump are considered personae non grata in Russia: Marjorie Taylor Green, Matt Gates and Paul Gozar. With them the extremely progressive Democratic bulletins: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
MP Lori Trahan clarified in her tweet that her inclusion in the Russian list will not change her mind about the invasion of Ukraine. “If Vladimir Putin believes that a permanent ban on my entry into Russia will diminish my support for Ukraine, I have bad news for him. This is not going to happen,” he said. “The United States stands with Ukraine.”
If Vladimir Putin thinks permanently banning me from Russia is going to change my support for Ukraine, I’ve got bad news for him. It’s not. The United States stands with Ukraine. https://t.co/zAWx7NEacy
– Congresswoman Lori Trahan (@RepLoriTrahan) May 21, 2022
Finally, veteran Democrat politician Donna Brasil wrote on Twitter that she wondered why Putin included her among those barred from entering Russia. “Fine, I support democratic governments against authoritarian dictatorships,” he said. “Goodbye, Putin!”
Source: Capital

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