Russian oil tycoon Oleg Deripaska tore into the FBI and 'utter stupidity' of the American government in a lengthy statement on Wednesday, a day after homes linked to him in New York and Washington were raided by the agency.
A spokesman for Deripaska said the searches stemmed from sanctions imposed on him in 2018 and that the homes belonged to his relatives.
But on Wednesday Deripaska indicated both pieces of luxury real estate were 'abandoned.'
'I cannot help but marvel at the utter stupidity of a part of the American establishment… as they persist in spinning this story about the supposedly colossal role of Russians in the 2016 US presidential election,' Deripaska said.
'It's time to face the obvious: Trump didn't win on his own, of course!'
But he said it was Washington, DC's own fault for alienating Americans so they voted for an 'operetta character' like Trump.
'He had help from those dumb asses in Washington who had so fed up with their electorate that they were ready to vote for anybody (even an operetta character, but not the bribe-ridden members of the Clinton clan),' he said.
'It is convenient to feed your electorate (brought up on Hollywood movies about horrible Russians) with all sorts of bulls**t for another 10 years.'
The Kremlin vowed to protect Deripaska's interests 'in every possible way.'
Images of FBI agents surrounding the Washington, DC residence connected to Deripaska, a close Putin ally who has been linked to Paul Manafort and Christopher Steele, were first reported by NBC late Monday morning.
A home in New York City's wealthy West Village neighborhood linked to Deripaska was raided by FBI
The raids are reportedly connected to US sanctions against Deripaska, which were levied in 2018 (pictured: Law enforcement outside a Washington, DC mansion linked to the tycoon)
The action was court-ordered, an FBI spokesperson told multiple outlets.
Deripaska mocked investigators, apparently believing there was little relevant information to be found.
'One has to ask: was a shitload of Putin's money found yesterday in these abandoned houses?
'Did they manage to snack on the sour jam from the pantries and a couple of bottles of vodka stolen in the best traditions of the Bolsheviks during the search?'
He added, 'P.S. I'm fed up with the unfunny a**holes...'
The Kremlin said on Wednesday, 'We have heard statements that these real estate assets are not a property of the entrepreneur
The oil magnate is believed to be in Austria, according to one Moscow source.
The law enforcement activity is connected to a federal investigation based in New York, a spokesperson told CNN.
Deripaska (left) is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been accused of aiding the Kremlin in foreign influence operations
It's not clear whether that would be the Southern District of New York, known for prosecuting some of the most high-profile cases in the country including an ongoing federal probe into Rudy Giuliani's ties to Ukraine and an investigation into Donald Trump's business affairs.
A spokesman for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
In his Wednesday statement, the powerful Putin ally went on an impassioned rant against the US for a number of domestic and foreign policy issues.
'The US debt is already nearly $30 trillion,' he said. 'China (by force or semi-voluntarily) will reunite with Taiwan, making the Pacific Ocean a Chinese inland body of water.'
'Nuclear technology in peaceful energy is long lost in the US, which means they will continue to burn coal and gas, littering the environment.
'Europe, too, no longer wants to freeze because of NATO fears that the Russians are coming.
He went on: 'And we Russians now want a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok with a prosperous population and pristine nature. But no.
'To please the obscurantists from the US military-industrial sphere and a couple of nutty analysts (through whose fault the US debt has reached astronomical proportions), the show of absurdity goes on.'
FBI agents outside of Deripaska's Washington, DC home on Monday morning
The FBI has not given a reason for the activity but told multiple outlets that it was court-ordered. Deripaska's spokesperson said it's related to sanctions against him
Properties linked to Deripaska in New York include a sprawling $42.5 million mansion in Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhood. That home was among a number of assets that were frozen by the sanctions.
The New York property being raided on Monday is reportedly in Manhattan's West Village.
Deripaska is a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin who's been accused of helping the Kremlin conduct foreign influence operations.
A 1,000-page Senate Intelligence Committee report released last year also links him to former Trump 2016 campaign chair Paul Manafort and ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele.
Deripaska and other members of Putin's inner circle as well as 12 Russian businesses connected to them were blacklisted by the Treasury Department in 2018 over alleged international crimes
The next year however, Donald Trump
