In plea deal, Russian Maria Butina admits to being a secret agent

[babylonsister]

In plea deal, Russian Maria Butina admits to being a secret agent
Politics Dec 13, 2018 10:15 AM EST — Updated on Dec 13, 2018 1:26 PM EST


WASHINGTON — A Russian woman accused of being a secret agent admitted Thursday that she conspired to infiltrate the American gun-rights movement to gather intelligence on conservative political groups as Donald Trump rose to power.

Maria Butina, 30, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors.

The case, which is separate from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has offered insight into how Moscow seeks to influence American policy.

Prosecutors say Butina and her Russian patron, Alexander Torshin, used their contacts in the National Rifle Association to pursue Russian back channels to American conservatives during that campaign, when Republican Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Butina’s case, brought by federal prosecutors in Washington, also comes amid a broader push by the Justice Department to enforce U.S. laws governing foreign agents, including those accused of working for Russia.

As part of her deal, Butina pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent and she agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Prosecutors also say it is “very likely” that she will be deported from the U.S. after her sentence is completed. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, though the defense noted Thursday that federal sentencing guidelines recommend no time to six months.

more...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/maria-butina-accused-of-being-a-russian-agent-is-expected-to-change-plea?fbclid=IwAR343BjZL5HR_TmKnrpXX0yKevrrBurmYFYrV_hqXtpuphHzTmlms01AOzU

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Older article, but still worth noting...

[babylonsister]

4. Ack! Thought it was from January.

[Dennis Donovan]

6. Still important - Butina will figure large in the coming year...

...as the layers are peeled from the Republican/NRA Rubles scandal.

[Achilleaze]

2. republicans admit* to intimate embrace of russian spy

* actually, the republicans are (naturally for them) lying about their intimate embrace of a russian spy

[duforsure]

3. My question is to her

Was she intentionally planted by putin, and with trumps knowledge before hand so he could have his canned answer for her, from the tape she asked him a question on? Was trump in on it ? I bet he was and it was planned . She can't go back to russia , or she'll face death from putin for talking, and he'll make an example of her to others.

[hughee99]

5. She was working with the NRA years ago (at least 2014)

So if you think Trump was consulted on this as early as 2014, you must think Putin had a time machine.

And if you think it was planned, and she was supposed to get caught, why would she face death for confessing what she was sent here to confess?

[uponit7771]

7. K&R,