Imagine FSB interrogating a US senator? FBI agent questions Russian lawmaker, offers ‘informal’ meeting

The Russian Embassy in Washington has filed a note of protest with the State Department and the FBI, after parliament member Inga Yumasheva was detained at a New York airport and questioned by a US federal agent.

Yumasheva, who traveled to the United States to participate in the annual Fort Ross Dialogue forum, was taken to a separate room upon landing and interrogated by an FBI agent, who asked “obscure and unacceptable questions,” according to Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov.

Moreover, she was offered a meeting with the FBI officer in an informal setting to continue the conversation

Yumasheva was questioned for over an hour before being released, but it remains unclear what exactly she was asked about. Slamming the incident as unacceptable and an outrageous attempt to disrupt yet another platform of communication between Americans and Russians, the embassy demanded an explanation from the State Department. 

Can’t even imagine [what would happen if Russian] security services detained one of the US senators or representatives... took them to a private room, interrogated and then invited them to a nearby restaurant for a cup of coffee.

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The annual Fort Ross Dialogue forum, held in California on October 6, is aimed at finding common ground through public diplomacy and discussions. However, some in Washington seem to reject the idea of any rapprochement with Moscow whatsoever, as the journey of Russian Foreign Ministry representatives to Fort Ross was disrupted this week.

Previously, Washington refused to issue visas for nearly a dozen members of the Russian delegation to a United Nations summit in New York, abusing its status as the host of the UN headquarters.

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