Current Events > Russian pro-gun activist linked to NRA charged with spying in US for Moscow

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/16/maria-butina-charged-spying-russia-us-doj

Maria Butina was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian federation within the US without prior notification to the attorney general.

Butina, 29, was arrested on Sunday and appeared before a magistrate in Washington on Monday, according to the US justice department.

She is known as a protege of Alexander Torshin, a Russian former state banker, who met Donald Trump Jr for dinner at the NRAs 2016 convention. Torshin was placed under sanction by the US in April this year.

A Justice Department press release said Butina had been developing relationships with US persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian federation.

More to follow

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It's OK, the Trumps didn't KNOW they were Russian agents... -_-
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Related: this article about Butina from February 2017

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-kremlin-and-gop-have-a-new-friendand-boy-does-she-love-guns

Just a few years ago, Maria Butina owned a furniture store in Siberia. Now shes wheeling and dealing with D.C. think-tankers, Republican strategists, and a Russian bank chief with alleged mob connections.

Depending on the audience, Butina has presented herself as a Russian central bank staffer, a leading gun rights advocate, a representative of the Russian Federation, a Washington, D.C., graduate student, a journalist, and a connection between Team Trump and Russia. She used each role to help her gain more high-level contacts in the nations capital.

Its another chapter in whats becoming a familiar story in Washington: Kremlin-connected operators building bridges to the GOP.

Ever since U.S. intelligence services concluded that Russia was meddling in the American presidential elections, Team Trumps ties to Russia have been highly scrutinized. The presidents national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned because he misled his bosses about his contacts with the Russian government; and his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, also resigned due to questions about his relationship with Russia.

Butinas relationships, formed with Washingtons conservative society through her fierce advocacy for firearmsone conference described her as the public face of gun rights in the Russian Federationprovide a previously unreported link between the Russian government and the Republican Party.

Two of Butinas friendships in particular have raised eyebrows. She started a business with Paul Erickson, a decades-long Republican Party activist. And she served as a special assistant to the deputy governor of Russias central bank, Alexander Torshin, a former Russian senator belonging to Vladimir Putins political party with alleged ties to the Russian mob world.

On Nov. 12, 2016, shortly after the election of President Donald Trump, Butina held a birthday party at Cafe Deluxe near American University, where she attends graduate school classes.

The event was a costume party attended by Trump campaign aides and Erickson, who told guests that he was on the Trump presidential transition team. She dressed as Russian Empress Alexandra while Erickson was dressed as Rasputin.

As chilled vodka flowed through an ice sculpturea bottle imprinted with the Soviet hammer and sickleshe took some time to brag. She brazenly claimed that she had been part of the Trump campaigns communications with Russia, two individuals who were present said. On other occasions, in one of her graduate classes, she repeated this claim.

She said so in my class. And she said so several times in the last semester, Svetlana Savranskaya, Butinas former American University professor and a staffer at the National Security Archive, told The Daily Beast. She is a former journalist, so she keeps up her connections in Russia. And she also works and [claims to] keep connections with a member of the Russian Duma.

Erickson and Butina have been seen in public frequently, at the invitation-only Freedom Ball after Trumps inauguration; and holding court at Russia House, a Russian-themed bar in Washington, D.C.s Dupont Circle. At one such gathering in the fall of 2016 Erickson bragged that he was advising the Trump transition team, according to two sources who were present; he is also said to have told a story about introducing Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47, to former NRA president David Keene. (Kalashnikov allegedly inspired the creation of The Right to Bear Arms, Butinas gun rights group.)

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Oooooo boy.
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"linked to the NRA"

in what way?
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Today is just monday and the whole world is seeing that Russia is fucking the U.S. while it's leader smiles and asks for more
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AlephZero posted...

"linked to the NRA"

in what way?

Torshin and Butina are both passionate defenders of gun owners rights. Both are lifetime members of the NRA (the only two Russians he knew to be lifetime members, Torshin once tweeted). The two attended the NRAs annual meeting in 2014 as a special guests of then-NRA president David Keene.

We are a young organization. We are three years old. And we invited David Keene. He made a speech at our annual meeting. And so its like an answer from one side, Butina told Townhall. The next side is the life member of our organization. He is our Russian senator. His name is Senator Alexander Torshin. He is a life member of NRA too, and hes usually a participant of such events, and every annual meeting of NRA. But now the situation between (our) two countries is very difficult. And we have to go here together with Senator Torshin. He is a great gun lover, he supports our organization and hes a friend of the NRA.
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Despite his ties to Russia, Torshin is still welcome in conservative circles. In May 2016, he returned to the NRAs annual convention and shared a dinner table with Donald Trump Jr., according to the same Bloomberg report.

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Russia knows that the countrys weakness is the GOP.
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tremain07 posted...

Today is just monday and the whole world is seeing that Russia is fucking the U.S. while it's leader smiles and asks for more

The twist is that Trump was the cuck all along
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fp1TioaLcg" data-time="

Ayyyyyyyy

It's her asking Trump a question in 2015.
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Not surprising in the least. There was that story about Russian trolls during the mass shooting spreading that crisis actors nonsense

She has an interesting name. The way Russian surnames work, hers would be Butin if she were male. That's almost Putin. :thinking emoji:
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ImTheMacheteGuy posted...

She has an interesting name. The way Russian surnames work, hers would be Butin if she were male. That's almost Putin. :thinking emoji:

is 1-Butyne, and the name of a town in Ukraine.
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And here's all sorts of images of this Russian spy taking pictures with right wing politicians and figureheads:

https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1018989033534382086

But I'm sure this all a wacky coincidence
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