Commentator Who Worked for Russian State TV Seeks Dismissal of Sanctions Case on First Amendment Grounds

Dimitri K. Simes, a Russian-born American commentator who served as a foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, has asked a federal court to throw out charges accusing him of violating U.S. sanctions through his work for Russia's state-owned Channel One television network, according to a report by The New York Times.

The Details

The New York Times reported on May 4, 2026, that Simes filed the dismissal motion on Monday, arguing the case against him violates First Amendment protections. The motion follows a September 2024 indictment in which federal prosecutors charged both Simes, 76, and his wife, Anastasia Simes, 55, a Russian national, with sanctions violations and money-laundering offenses tied to work for Channel One after the broadcaster was sanctioned in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The September 2024 reporting by PBS News and The Guardian stated that prosecutors alleged the couple received more than $1 million, a personal car and driver, and other benefits in connection with Simes's work for the sanctioned network. According to the same reports, Anastasia Simes was separately accused of handling art and antiquities transactions for sanctioned businessman Aleksandr Udodov and of laundering proceeds tied to that conduct.

Simes previously served as a foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and came under scrutiny during Robert Mueller's investigation, though he was not charged in that probe, according to PBS News and The Guardian.

At the time the charges were announced in 2024, then-U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves said the alleged sanctions violations harmed U.S. national security interests, according to PBS News.

Context

The 2024 charges against the Simeses arrived amid a broader Biden-administration push against Russian influence operations targeting U.S. politics and media ahead of the presidential election, according to PBS News and The Guardian. Both outlets reported that the case aligned with wider actions against Russian state-media personnel and RT-linked influence networks announced in September 2024.

Before the charges were announced, Simes told The New York Times in a statement subsequently reported by PBS News: "I assumed that what I was saying on Russian TV would not be to the liking of the Biden administration, but I also assumed that as long as it was just my opinion and was presented as such, it was not something for which I could be prosecuted."

What's Next

The motion to dismiss remains pending, and no court ruling has been reported. The prosecution's response to Simes's First Amendment argument has not been publicly detailed. Current-cycle reporting did not include an update on Anastasia Simes's separate legal posture in the case.