McCain on Russian travel ban: 'I couldn't be more proud'

Sen. John McCain reportedly is banned from entering Russia, according to a sanctions list being reported by state media outlets in Moscow.

And it seems the Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee is just fine with that.


“While I suppose this means I’ll spend this Easter in Sedona rather than Siberia, I couldn’t be more proud of being sanctioned by Vladimir Putin for standing up for freedom and human rights for the Russian people and against Putin’s deadly aggression in Ukraine. I will never stop my efforts to support democracy, free speech, and the rule of law in Russia,” McCain said in a statement Thursday.

According to a report cited by RT, the list includes about 60 pols from the U.S., including McCain, Deputy National Security Adviser Caroline Atkinson, White House adviser Ben Rhodes, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) and — oddly — Mary Landrieu, who is no longer a senator for Louisiana, and Dan Pfeiffer, the former top White House communications aide.

“Much like Siberia, my nonexistent Bank of Moscow account is now frozen,” Coats said in response to the sanctions.

Russia sanctioned McCain and others last March as well after U.S. sanctions were imposed in response to the independence referendum in Crimea.

McCain delivered a similar statement then: “I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off, my Gazprom stock is lost, and my secret bank account in Moscow is frozen. Nonetheless, I will never cease my efforts on behalf of the freedom, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea.”

Burgess Everett contributed to this report.