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Maria Butina
Russian citizen Maria Butina was arrested in Washington for allegedly pursuing an unregistered activity in the United States. She acted as Russia's agent, revealed a statement from the US Department of Justice.
"Since 2015, Butina has acted on the territory of the country, establishing relations with US citizens and accessing the organizations have influenced US policy to impose the interests of Russia," the statement said.
It was found that it had worked in the interest of a "senior Russian government official, who later held a prominent position at the Central Bank of Russia."
Mary and Butyl lived in the United States with a student visa and has not been registered as a lobbyist at the Department of Justice, which is the legal requirement. She may be sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years if she is found guilty by the court.
It is also stated that Butina had a personal relationship with an American citizen who had an influence on Washington's policy. The first hearing in his case is scheduled for July 18.
Before leaving for the United States, Maria Butina has a furniture store in Siberia. In Washington, she contacted think tanks, Republican strategists and a Russian bank chief suspected of having ties to the mafia.
According to the public, Butina introduces herself as an employee of the Russian Central Bank, an activist "a representative of the Russian Federation", a doctoral student in Washington, a journalist and a link between the team of Trump and Russia. She uses each of her roles to establish high-level contacts in the capital of America.
This is another page of a story already familiar to Washington: related to the political actors of the Kremlin who are getting closer to the Republican Party, writes Since the US Secret Service came to the conclusion that Russia intervened in the presidential election, Trump's team relations with Russia were seen under scrutiny. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned because he misled his bosses for his contacts with the Russian government; Former campaign manager Paul Manaufort also resigned for being suspected of his relations with Russia
. Button's contacts with Washington's conservative community were established through his aggressive campaign to get guns. Some describe it as "the public face of the right to possession of weapons in the Russian Federation".
Two of Butina's friendships are particularly interesting. She started her business with Paul Eriksson, a Republican party activist for decades. He also worked as special badistant to the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia, Alexander Torshin, a former Russian senator from the Putin party, allegedly linked to the Russian mafia.
On November 12, 2016, shortly after the election victory of Donald Trump, Butina is holding a birthday party at the Deluxe Café near the American University where he is going.
The event is a masked ball followed by Trump's campaign advisers as well as Ericson, who told the guests that is Trump's transitional presidential team. Maria pretends to be the Russian empress Alexandra, and Eriksson has a rasputin costume
While the icy vodka flows through an ice sculpture – from a bottle on which a Soviet sickle and a hammer are drawn – she does not miss her contacts. The young woman boldly declares that she is part of the Trump campaign communications with Russia, sharing two participants at the party.
Eriksson and Butina are often seen together at public events, for example, the "Liberty Ball" after the inauguration of Trump, where the entrance is only invitations, as well as in Russian House, a thematic Russian bar in Dupont Circle, Washington. At one of these events in the fall of 2016, Eriksson is touted to consult with Trump's transition team, sharing two current sources. It also tells how Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47, was introduced to the former NRA president, David Keane. It is said that Kalashnikov is the inspiration to create the Button Arms Group of Button
The two seem to converge: Eriksson creates a limited liability company with Butina in February 2016, shows documentation in the United States archives of South Dakota. We do not know what an organization called Bridges LLC actually does. During his stay in Washington, Button's mobile phone number has a South Dakota code
As a former member of the Conservative American Conservative Union, an influential conservative group that organizes the Political Action Conference Conservative (CPAC), Eriksson there is a huge network of contacts in the right
Meanwhile, Butina is building a warrior reputation for the right to possession of weapons in Russia. In 2011, she set up a group called "Weapon Law" that fights for the rights of Russian shipowners.
"We defend the right to possession of weapons in Russia, as well as those who own weapons and are in a situation of self-defense," Butina told Townhall's conservative news website in May 2014.
This fall, Butina's group welcomed Eriksson to his headquarters in Moscow. At the event, Eriksson is portrayed as a veteran of six presidential campaigns who worked at the White House in the Reagan era
Eriksson, however, is not the only friend of Butina with links between the elite. She is also close to former Russian parliamentarian Alexander Torshin. Torshin has been deputy speaker of the Russian parliament for more than a decade and a member of the influential Russian National Counter-Terrorism Committee, a state body that also includes the director of the FSB and the defense ministers. , Interior and Foreign Affairs. Butina is her advisor because she reveals an archived version of her personal website, which is offline pretty much by the time she moved to Washington in the fall of 2016. Then, the former Russian senator refines regularly for her, and he also has his pictures on Twitter
Torshin and Butina are fervent defenders of the right to possession of weapons. They are both life members of the NRA, an American weapons protection organization. They are the only two Russians known to be life members. Both were present at the annual NRA meeting in 2014 as special guests of ANR President David Keen
"We are a young organization, we have been there for three years, we have David Keane, he gave a speech at our annual meeting, in response to our invitation, on the one hand, "says Buttina to Townhall. "On the other hand, he is a member of our organization, a Russian Senator, whose name is Alexander Torshin, who is a member of the NRA and is usually involved in such events at every NRA annual meeting. must be here with Senator Torshin, he loves arms, supports our organization and is a friend of the NRA. "
Torshin's situation has increased significantly in recent years, according to Transparency International, following the net financial situation of Torshin. Russian politicians [1"L'undesdirigeantsdeTorshinàlabanqueentre1995et1998l'ancienpremiervice-gouverneurSergeiAlexashenkoditqueTorshinapuretourneràsonancienposteavecl'aideduServicefédéraldesécurité(FSB)ilexistedesrelationsdelonguedate"écritBloomberg"AlexashenkoancienchefdeMerrillLynchàMoscouestmaintenantchercheursenioràlaBrookingsInstituteàWashington"
Despite its ties with Russia, Torshin is always a guest sought in mil In May 2016, he returned to the National Conference of the NRA and was on the same table as Donald Trump Jr., as reported by the same article in Bloomberg
Finally, Torshin-Butina-Erickson's Relationship is another example of contacts between influential Russian figures and Washington's political actors – the type of contacts the FBI is investigating and several Senate committees in connection with Moscow's attempts to influence the political arena US. This week, the New York Times announced a backstabber proposal to abolish sanctions against Russia, while ending the conflict in Ukraine delivered to the White House by Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen [19659003] What Trump says
One is certainly clear: Trump himself has begun to distance himself, at least publicly, from any possible connection with Russia.
July 11, 2015 – more than a year before it started at the American University – Button was in Las Vegas at an early dawn Trump presidential campaign rally. During the question and answer, she asked Trump about the sanctions against Russia
"I come from Russia, and my question will be foreign policy," said Butina, looking at her preliminary remarks. "If you are elected president, what will be your foreign policy specifically regarding relations with my country, do you want to continue the policy of sanctions that harm the two economies or do you have other ideas?"
"I know Putin, and I'll tell you something – we'll get along well with Putin," Trump replies to Butina's question. "I would have understood very well with Putin, in that we have the necessary power, and I do not think we will need sanctions, I think we will get along very well. "
Nowadays, with the omnipresent revelations For Russia's intervention in the presidential elections Trump gives a very different answer. "I do not know Putin," he twisted earlier this month. "I have nothing to do with Russia," Trump said at his conference. February 16. "I did not talk to the Russians, not that I would not do it – I do not have anyone to talk to."
On Monday, after the meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Trump took over the Russian position, that Moscow did not interfere with the US elections.He said that there was no reason not to believe Putin, which drew the wrath of congressmen and diplomats
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