(Radio Free Europe) – On August 16, 2024, Rappahannock News reported that the FBI had conducted a raid at the home of Dmitri Simes in Virginia. Simes, a well-known political commentator and author, is also known for hosting a current affairs program on Russia’s Channel One.
The FBI began the search on August 13, but declined to provide additional details about the operation, according to RFE/RL’s Russian Service.
Simes, who was out of the country at the time of the raid, expressed confusion and concern over the FBI’s actions. He confirmed to TASS that the reports of the search were accurate, though he had not received an official notification.
Born in Moscow in 1947, Simes immigrated to the United States in 1973. He served as an informal advisor to former U.S. President Richard Nixon, traveling with Nixon to the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries. In 1994, Nixon appointed Simes to lead the Center for the National Interest, formerly known as the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom. Simes retired from this position in 2022.
Simes also played a role in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, including arranging a significant foreign policy speech advocating for closer U.S.-Russia relations.
His name appeared over 100 times in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 2019 report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In 2023, Simes moderated a session with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Earlier in August, Fox News reported that FBI agents had raided the home of Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector known for his support of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ritter had his passport seized earlier this year, preventing him from attending the St. Petersburg forum.