White House condemns Russia issuing arrest warrant for Washington Examiner columnist – Washington Examiner

The White House condemned the sanctions issued against American journalists, including the March 7 arrest warrant for Washington Examiner columnist Tom Rogan.

Russia has also placed Washington Examiner Editor-in-Chief Hugo Gurdon on a state list of extremists and terrorists just before the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine.

“Sadly, it’s consistent with the Kremlin approach to, particularly, journalists and the crackdown by the Kremlin on free speech and speech, in fact, that Mr. Putin finds offensive or inimical to his own selfish interests,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters during Friday’s White House press briefing when asked about the warrant issued for Rogan. “It’s, I think, just another reminder, and I think it underscores, first of all, the danger to Americans who may be in Russia and the need not to be there, but also the real danger of an autocrat, like Putin, and what he’s really after.”

The warrant for Rogan was issued in response to a 2018 column he authored titled “Ukraine should blow up Putin’s Crimea bridge,” according to Russian state media. The Kremlin reportedly opened an investigation into Rogan and Gurdon the following day.

Kirby further warned reporters on Friday that Russia was nearing a deal with Iran to purchase short-range ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine, saying that those negotiations are “active and they’ve been advancing.”

“Were Iran to proceed with providing ballistic missiles or related technology to Russia, we’re prepared to respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner, including with new and significant measures,” he said.

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You can watch Friday’s briefing in full below.

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