- A Russian politician called for a US congressman's abduction on live TV, The Daily Beast reported.
- His comments came after the US lawmaker called for greater support for
Ukraine amid fears of a Russian invasion.
Rep.
On Wednesday, Aleksei Zhuravlyov, a member of State Duma and chairman of the nationalist Rodina party, suggested kidnapping and imprisoning Gallego, who has called for more support for Ukraine after a recent trip to the country, a trip that came Russian military activity stirs fears it may invade, The Daily Beast reported.
Gallego told CNN this week that the US should provide better weaponry to Ukraine that "will actually put a toll on the Russian troop movements," adding that "unfortunately, that means we have to kill some Russians."
Responding to the congressman's comments, Zhuravlyov said on live television on Wednesday that Gallego ought to be surveilled and then abducted, The Daily Beast reported.
"We should be looking for that bud, and if he travels anywhere–grab him like Bout and bring him over here," he said, appearing to reference Russian arms dealer Victor Bout who was caught in Thailand and extradited to the US in 2010.
"This is how we should be acting," the Russian politician said. "Spend 25 years in prison and then when you get out — 'IF' you get out — you can tell us whom you wanted to kill."
"This is how we should be dealing with these bastards," he said, adding, "We can grab him out of Ukraine and there's nothing they could do, with our capabilities."
Responding to The Daily Beast report on Zhuravlyov's remarks, Gallego, a
—Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) December 15, 2021
Other current and former service members in
Later, Gallego made an appearance on MSNBC's "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell," where he added to his earlier remarks.
The congressman told the Russian politician to "get in line," explaining that he'd been "threatened by insurgents in Iraq" and that Zhuravlyov's "little words aren't going to make a difference," The Daily Beast reported in a follow-on report.
"I'm going to be here to do anything I can to support Ukraine democracy and democracy everywhere else, and you know what, you want to throw threats at me, we'll see what happens," he said.