Russia bans Oregon Gov. Kotek, Attorney General Rosenblum, U.S. Rep. Hoyle

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle are among 500 Americans newly banned from traveling to Russia. 

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its list late last week, saying it came in response to “anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration.” The ministry didn’t explain why it named the people it did, or what sanctions would mean. 

It adds to a list of more than 1,000 Americans banned by the Russian government last spring, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and sanctions from the U.S. and other Western nations that followed. 

“Apparently I’ve been banned from Russia,” Hoyle said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle. “I wish we could ban Russia from invading Ukraine.”

Spokespeople for Kotek and Rosenblum weren’t immediately able to provide comments Tuesday evening.  

None of Oregon’s additions to the list have clear ties to Russia, though Rosenblum joined fellow Democratic attorneys general in calling for independent investigations into whether former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russians. 

During her campaign for her House seat last year, Hoyle said she agreed with the U.S. and other countries sending aid to Ukraine following the invasion, though she opposes sending American troops overseas to fight foreign wars. 

Two other members of Oregon’s congressional delegation – Reps. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican – are not on the list. 

But it includes many politicians, including former President Barack Obama, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who are Democrats like Kotek and Hoyle, as well as a number of officials at non-governmental organizations and comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert. 

The country last year banned other members of Oregon’s congressional delegation, including Democratic U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici and Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz. Former Democratic Reps. Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader were banned last year and remain on Russia’s sanction list. 

At the time, members of Oregon’s congressional delegation dismissed the ban. 

“Being sanctioned by a murderous and fascist regime with so much blood on its hands is fine by me,” Wyden said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle last May.