Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has announced that the latest US sanctions imposed on RT mean he will no longer be able to contribute to the Russian media outlet. Ritter insisted that his engagement with RT has been nothing but “legitimate journalism.”
A former US Marine Corps major who also served as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq during the 1990s, Ritter came into the spotlight in 2003 when he opposed the US military operation against the Middle Eastern country. He argued that Saddam Hussein’s government did not possess weapons of mass destruction, despite Washington’s claims.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Ritter stressed that the content of his contributions for RT and several other sanctioned media outlets “has been factually correct and analytically sound, and always of my own creation.”
While condemning Washington’s decision as running counter to “constitutional norms and values,” Ritter noted that he is “fully committed to obeying US law, and as such will be terminating all contractual relationships with both RT and Sputnik effective immediately.”
He expressed gratitude to his Russian colleagues for their “professionalism” and vowed to “continue to exercise my free speech rights… as a journalist free from government influence or control.”
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department announced the imposition of sanctions against several Russian media outlets, including RT and a number of its employees. The US authorities accused the media outlet of “covertly recruit[ing] unwitting American influencers” in a bid to “undermine confidence in the United States’ election processes and institutions” ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
Aside from visa restrictions, the targeted entities and individuals will have their property rights on US soil blocked, with all transactions prohibited unless a special waver is issued.
“The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated person,” the document clarified.
Last month, Ritter accused the US government of committing an “act of intimidation” and “declaring war” on him after FBI agents raided his house in New York State. The journalist said at the time that officials suspected him of working “on behalf of the Russian government” in violation of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act.
An FBI spokesperson, in turn, confirmed “law enforcement activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation,” but would not reveal any details.
Ritter dismissed the allegations against him as “absurd in the extreme.”