Kelly calls Russian sanctions a ‘badge of honor’
All three U.S. House members representing Butler County were sanctioned on Wednesday by Russia, something Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said he would wear “as a badge of honor.”
The names of Kelly and Reps. Conor Lamb, D-17th, and Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-15th, were among nearly 400 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who were named by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as being sanctioned.
Russia’s sanctions, which were promulgated in retaliation for Western penalties against the nation, according to a translated press release issued by the foreign affairs ministry, places 398 members of Congress on the nation’s “stop list,” prohibiting the elected representatives from entering Russia and freezing their assets within the country.
Kelly took to social media Thursday morning to express his feelings toward the sanctions.
“Russia sanctioned me and nearly 400 members of the U.S. House last night. I’ll wear that as a badge of honor for standing up against Vladimir Putin and his brutal regime,” Kelly tweeted. “The U.S. must always stand up for what is right.”
In an afternoon press release, Kelly touted his votes to end the import of Russian oil and to end normal trade relationships between the U.S. and the nations of Russia and Belarus as reasons why the Kremlin likely targeted him along with 397 other Congressmen.
“I’ve never had bank accounts or summer vacation plans in Russia, but I’ll take Putin’s sanctions against me as confirmation that my stance against Russian aggression in Ukraine is making a difference,” Kelly said in a statement. “I’m proud to be on Putin’s list.”
Neither Thompson nor Lamb made any public statements about the sanctions on Thursday.
