Dimitri Simes Insists U.S. Raid on His House Aims To Block Russian-American Dialogue

Aug. 18—The Russian-American diplomat and foreign policy expert Dimitri Simes, who played an advisory role in both the Nixon and Trump administrations, had his Virginia home raided by the FBI on Aug. 16 despite no justification having been given yet for what was done. In an interview with Sputnik following the event, Simes was forthright about this move being another tactic of intimidation against opposition voices in the U.S., and one that is particularly aimed at blocking any Russian-American dialogue.

“This is the way American law enforcement is working today,” Simes told Sputnik. “If somebody goes against the political mainstream, in particular against the Biden administration, the punishment may be very swift.” Simes has been an outspoken critic of the Biden administration and its policy of aggressive war against Russia.

Speaking from Russia, he insisted that “I do not know what I am being charged with” or even “if I am being charged with anything.. They did not notify me,” he said, and was only informed by neighbors in Virginia that law enforcement officials were going through his house. Simes also noted that many of the people who participated in the raid arrived in private cars—which is not protocol. He suggested that some of these may not be with the FBI at all, but could be from Ukrainian circles that want to harass him.

As to the motivation, Simes was crystal clear. There is “no question” that the government wants to intimidate me, Simes said. “But they want to intimidate other people too, not just me. Particularly they want to intimidate the people in the American foreign policy community. You have mentioned my participation in Russian-American dialogue. Yes, I played a certain role in this dialogue before…. At this stage, when there’s almost no official dialogue of any kind. And, my suspicion is, this is what they were doing in my house. I cannot be categorical, but this is my suspicion, that they, instead of trying to get me to come to the United States and to interrogate me or even to arrest me, their real purpose is different. They want to make sure that I would not come to the United States, and they want to block any attempt to have a Russian-American dialogue. At least, that is my strong suspicion.”