Graham says he spoke to an assistant director of the FBI about Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Graham: Wrong name hid Russia trip

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday that the FBI did not know that Tamerlan Tsarnaev — the deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect — went on a six-month overseas trip in 2011 because his name was misspelled.

“He went over to Russia, but apparently when he got on the airplane, they misspelled his name, so it never went into the system that he actually went to Russia,” Graham said on Fox News, saying he spoke to an assistant director of the FBI.


In early 2011, Russia warned the U.S. that Tsarnaev, who grew up in the region, was a follower of radical Islam. Tsarnaev, 26, and his younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, are the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings. The older brother was killed during an overnight police pursuit in suburban Boston Thursday night into early Friday morning.

( Also on POLITICO: Terror suspect: 5 legal questions)

The younger brother is being questioned at a Boston hospital where he is recovering from throat injuries that were either self-inflicted or he obtained during the police pursuits. It is unknown at this point whether he will be tried as an American citizen or an enemy combatant, though charges could be filed early this week.

Authorities haven’t released a motive for the brothers.

On Sunday, Graham criticized the federal government for not adequately tracking Tamerlan, saying on CNN that “the ball was dropped.”

But on Fox News, Graham seemingly backed down on his criticism, saying the FBI “did a good job.”

( Also on POLITICO: Suspects not licensed for guns, report says)

“One of two things happened,” Graham said Monday on Fox News, “the FBI either dropped the ball or our system doesn’t allow the FBI to follow this guy in an appropriate fashion. I think once the Russians made the request, the FBI did a good job of looking at him. The reason we didn’t know he went to Russia is because the name was misspelled.”