FBI searches home of Russia-American analyst, Russian state TV host Dmitri Simes

The FBI searched the estate of a Russian-American analyst and Russian state television host on Tuesday in a small town in Northern Virginia. 

Dmitri Simes, who owns the property along with his wife, is a known entity in the Washington, D.C. diplomatic world and was the president and CEO of the Center for the National Interest, a think-tank founded by former President Richard Nixon shortly before his death in 1994. Simes had served as an unofficial policy advisor to Nixon.

“The FBI conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity. We have no further comment as this is an ongoing matter,” an FBI spokesperson told local news outlet, Rappahannock News.

According to one neighbor who spoke with the outlet, federal agents were seen moving in and out of the estate over several days moving items in trucks and trailers.

Simes was not home at the time, telling Rappahannock News he was out of the country.

Simes was launched into the spotlight during former FBI Director Robert Mueller’s investigation into then-President Donald Trump for his ties to the Republican nominee’s 2016 campaign. Allegations surrounded the Russian-American analyst about his close ties to individuals in Russia. Mueller investigated the possibility that Simes used his contacts to backchannel with Russian officials for the Trump campaign.

Simes reportedly began giving informal advice to the campaign after he met Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at a lunch honoring Henry Kissinger. Mueller’s team found that Simes sent a policy memo to Jeff Sessions, who would become Trump’s first attorney general, offering policy recommendations for the campaign, Politico reported.

Mueller’s report ultimately exonerated Simes, however, concluding he did not act as an intermediary with Russia.

Now, Simes co-hosts a current affairs show on Russia’s Channel One, a state-run outlet, and in 2023 hosted a Q&A session with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.