SAEDNEWS: Freedom of speech in the US is only permitted for those who express pro-American views, while dissenters are subjected to a “political inquisition,” Russia’s ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said.
According to SAEDNEWS, The FBI's search of the Virginia home of Russian-born U.S. political analyst and author Dimitri Simes on Tuesday has prompted significant discussion, particularly regarding the political implications of such actions. Simes, a vocal critic of President Joe Biden’s administration, has co-hosted a geopolitical talk show on Russia’s Channel 1 since 2018, according to RT.
Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, commented on the incident, describing it as another example of the “witch hunt” occurring in the United States as the presidential election approaches on November 5. In a post on Telegram on Saturday, he stated, “Hundreds of people are declared undesirable just because they dare to contradict the policies of the administration. They are forbidden from having their own point of view,” adding that government agents are “breaking into homes, performing searches and seizing documents.”
Antonov likened the current situation in the U.S. to the “dark times of McCarthyism,” referencing the 1950s campaign led by Senator Joseph McCarthy against suspected communists. He warned that “the local ruling circles have decisively embarked on the path of total censorship,” asserting that freedom of speech in modern America only seems to be protected when it aligns with pro-American views. “All dissidents are subject to political inquisition, especially when it comes to those who fight against one-sided and biased views on Russia,” he stated.
The ambassador further criticized Washington for its double standards concerning democracy and free speech, claiming that while the U.S. “easily” neglects the rights outlined in the First Amendment at home, American officials continue to lecture the world on democratic values and human rights.
Dimitri Simes, a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated from the Soviet Union in 1973, has a notable background, having served as an aide to President Richard Nixon and as the publisher and CEO of National Interest magazine, which advocates for a realist approach to international relations.
At the height of the Russiagate investigation, Simes was among those scrutinized by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a suspected contact between Donald Trump and the Russian government. However, the 2019 Mueller report ultimately found no evidence of collusion between Moscow and Trump’s 2016 campaign, thereby clearing Simes of any wrongdoing.
The FBI’s raid on Simes' property comes just a week after authorities conducted a search at the home of former U.S. Marine and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter in New York. Ritter, now a journalist and commentator, expressed concerns that the search was primarily driven by U.S. authorities' discontent with his “relationship” with Russian media outlets such as RT and Sputnik news agency.
