5 Tweets From Pols Banned From Russia

In retaliation for U.S. economic sanctions placed on the Russian Government Thursday by President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and co have now banned several Obama advisers and lawmakers from entering Russia. Boo hoo. But the banned Americans aren't crying over spilled milk. In fact, they're pretty proud to be included.

The Russian sanctions include House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, as well as Sens. Daniel Coats, John McCain, Robert Menendez, and Mary Landrieu. Also included are Obama advisers Daniel Pfeiffer, Benjamin Rhodes, and Caroline Atkinson.

The bans were announced shortly after Obama imposed sanctions on 20 Russian officials and a Russian bank, following an "illegal" move by Russia to ratify a treaty that made Crimea part of the Russian Federation. This followed Moscow’s move to annex the region, after a quickly-organized referendum that saw Crimea vote to join Russia after the Russian military moved into the Crimean Peninsula.

Under an executive order signed by Obama two weeks ago, the U.S. is already imposing sanctions against a number of individuals whom the White House says played a part in the Ukraine crisis. On Thursday, Obama says he signed another executive order that will allow the U.S. to punish key Russian economy sectors.

Many of the U.S. lawmakers included in the Russian ban responded quickly on Twitter after receiving the news...

Many others took to Twitter to sound off about the Russian sanctions, including Tommy Vietor, former National Security Council spokesman for the Obama Administration.