Vladimir Putin probably didn’t expect that newly announced Russian sanctions on nine Americans – three top White House aides, three Republicans and three Democrats in Congress – would spark a bipartisan love-in in Washington.
Here’s an early response from a spokesman for Republican House Speaker John Boehner on Twitter to Dan Pfeiffer, a senior adviser to President Obama, for making the list:But that’s exactly what happened on Thursday as Moscow retaliated for expanded U.S. sanctions by freezing the assets of a select handful of high-profile Americans and banning them from travel inside Russia.
Some of the lawmakers on the list had a quick public reaction to the news and expressed defiance—which is not hard to do when you likely have neither assets in Russia, nor plans to travel there.
The other Americans on Russia’s list of people to block included Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs Caroline Atkinson, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Republican Senator Dan Coats of Indiana, and Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.
“While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to go on vacation with my family in Siberia this summer, I am honored to be on this list," Coats said. "Putin’s recent aggression is unacceptable, and America must join with our European allies to isolate and punish Russia. I will continue to lead efforts on Capitol Hill to bring Putin to his senses.”
The list appeared to show that Russia agreed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the scheduled Group of Eight summit in Sochi, Russia, was dead. Rhodes, Pfeiffer, and Atkinson would likely have made the trip with Obama.
The Russian sanctions resembled the first round of American measures targeting prominent Russians backing Putin’s annexation of Crimea, which drew a similarly mocking response in Moscow. Russia’s measures did not affect anyone at the Pentagon, or any businesses with economic interests in Russia.
But the new round of American sanctions broadened the field considerably, reaching into Putin’s inner circle and for the first time affecting an institution, a bank. Obama further warned that the United States would go after entire sectors of Russia’s economy if Putin pushes ahead in the Ukraine, perhaps by trying to carve a slice of eastern Ukraine off of the rest of the country.
Behind the scenes, on email and over the telephone, officials in Washington reacted largely with amusement – and sometimes amused confusion. An aide to one person on the list, asked why their boss had been included, laughed and responded: “As soon as you find out, would you call back and let me know?”
And some officials expressed mock outrage at being left off the list. Here’s Michael Mershon, spokesman for Rep. Jim McGovern (D.-Mass), a frequent and fierce critic of Russia:
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