Scott Walker says his interaction with accused Russian spy Maria Butina was brief
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published 10:01 a.m. CT July 18, 2018 | Updated 10:26 a.m. CT July 18, 2018
Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday he talked only briefly with a woman now accused of being a Russian spy, saying he had his photo taken with her just as he does with others who say they are supporters.
"As we go to events, we meet people, they introduce themselves, often they ask for a picture," Walker told reporters during a stop in Appleton. "That's not a meeting. A meeting is where you sit down in a room and have a discussion."
Walker was referring to his interaction with Maria Butina, who was indicted this week for conspiring to interfere with U.S. politics and advance Russian interests.
Walker posed for a photo with her at a National Rifle Association meeting in Tennessee in 2015. In the photo, Walker stood between Butina and Alexander Torshin, who is not named in the indictment but is the "Russian official" who gave Butina orders as part of the conspiracy, according to the New York Times.
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RELATED: Scott Walker met with woman now charged in Russian plot during his presidential bid
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The exchange with Butina and Torshin occurred in a VIP area of the NRA event, according to the Washington Post.
Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/07/18/scott-walker-says-exchange-accused-russian-spy-butina-brief/795134002/
Would like for reporters to keep asking questions about this meeting.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/she-was-like-a-novelty-how-alleged-russian-agent-maria-butina-gained-access-to-elite-conservative-circles/2018/07/17/1bb62bbc-89d2-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?utm_term=.da0427d9ee83
................Maria Butina, who was indicted this week on charges of being a covert Russian agent, struck up friendships with the influential leaders of the National Rifle Association and the Conservative Political Action Conference, touting her interest in U.S. affairs and efforts to promote gun rights in Vladimir Putin’s restrictive Russia. She sidled up to GOP presidential candidates, seeking first an encounter with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and then, after his rising candidacy stumbled, with Donald Trump.
...............................In a social media post, Butina wrote that she met Walker and was surprised when she was able to exchange a few words in Russian with the Wisconsin governor, who was preparing a bid for the presidency and leading in polls. A Walker spokesman said Tuesday that there were thousands of people at the convention and that “many of them approached the governor and asked to say hello and take a photo with him.”
Later in 2015, she attended Walker’s kickoff political rally in Wisconsin and a town hall for candidates in Las Vegas, where candidates Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Trump were speaking. She also helped arrange a meeting for Torshin in St. Petersburg with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who was visiting with a congressional delegation on a trip cited in court filings..............................
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You can never hide the truth forever. Time to pack your bags for Moscow!
Inquiring minds want to know.
