There might be an edited video to blame, but the Russian Interior Ministry put out a warrant for Senator Lindsey Graham’s arrest on Monday. Graham visited President Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday. While there he made some remarks to the press. The video of those remarks seems to have been edited and it made it sound like Graham was praising the deaths of Russian soldiers.

Russia’s Interior Ministry put out a warrant for Graham’s arrest on Monday in response to an edited video released by Zelenskyy’s office in which Graham praised U.S. support for Ukraine’s defense and noted that Russians are dying as Ukraine fights for its freedom.

In the video, Graham noted that “the Russians are dying” and described the U.S. military assistance to the country as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”

While Graham appeared to have made the remarks in different parts of the conversation, the short video by Ukraine’s presidential office put them next to each other, causing outrage in Russia.

Graham has visited Ukraine many times. He’s all-in on supporting Zelensky and his battle for Ukrainian sovereignty. So, while he did say that the financial contributions to Ukraine is money well-spent, he didn’t necessarily mean that the resulting deaths of Russian soldiers was worth it. It’s a bit brutal, even for a war hawk like Graham.

Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation against Graham and the Interior Ministry followed up with a warrant for his arrest.

Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “it’s hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators.” Meh. There are a lot worse than Graham on the other side of he aisle. They can’t all be like Bernie Sanders, who honeymooned in the Soviet Union.

Graham had a pretty good answer to Putin.

“Here’s an offer to my Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime as being war criminals: I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do,” Graham said Monday.

“Come and make your best case. See you in The Hague!”

He was referring to the arrest warrant issued to Putin by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Putin is accused of the war crime of forced transferring children from Ukraine to Russia.

Monday Graham called the arrest warrant a “badge of honor.”

“To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy,” Graham said. “I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.”

To know that my commitment to Ukraine has drawn the ire of Putin’s regime brings me immense joy.

I will continue to stand with and for Ukraine’s freedom until every Russian soldier is expelled from Ukrainian territory.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 29, 2023

Finally, here’s an offer to my Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime as being war criminals:

I will submit to jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if you do.

Come and make your best case.

See you in The Hague!

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 29, 2023

Putin has been busy banning Americans from Russia this month. He has banned over 500 Americans, including CNN journalists. And, there’s some January 6, 2021 nonsense included. It is in response to the Biden administration imposing sanctions on Russia due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The list includes Barack Obama, late night show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, former U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman, U.S. senators, and the next chairman of the joint chiefs, Charles Q. Brown, Jr.

The statement also said: “The attached ‘list-500’ also includes those in government and law enforcement agencies who are directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called Storming the Capitol.” On January 6, 2021, scores of supporters of former US President Donald Trump sought to stop Biden’s certification as president and attacked the US Capitol.

I don’t think any of them were planning a vacation in Moscow anyway.