Already an actor, martial arts enthusiast and deputy sheriff, Steven Seagal became an unlikely diplomat on Sunday, when he joined the U.S. congressional delegation to Moscow. Lawmakers met with Russian intelligence officials to determine how the two countries could have shared information that would have prevented the Boston Marathon bombing.
According to The New York Times, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., praised Seagal for his work organizing meetings with various Russian leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin.
“I don’t know that he would have been available to us if not for Steven’s role,” Rohrbacher said.
He added that Seagal " "knows my interest in thwarting radical Islamic terrorism, and we have conferred about this before."
Seagal tried to plan a trip to Chechnya, which fell through for logistical reasons.
Seagal also said he arranged a rare session with Russia's Federal Security Service, a claim that Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., denied.
"He can shake his head 'no,' but the fact of the matter is that yes, I did," Seagal said.
The 61-year-old star of action films like "Above the Law" and "Under Siege" claims a close relationship with both Vladimir Putin and Chechnya's Kremlin-supported leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. Seagal recently met with Kadyrov, who posted pictures of their time together on Instagram. In March, Seagal and Putin appeared at a Moscow event promoting physical fitness in Russian schools.
