California GOP congressman Rohrabacher met with a Russian agent accused in St. Petersburg

Orange County GOP representative, Dana Rohrabacher, met in Russia in 2015 with a woman accused by federal officials of having acted as an unregistered Kremlin agent in a secret attempt to shape American politics

– confirmed Tuesday by Rohrabacher's office – arrived the same day in Politico that the charge of Maria Butina, 29, was "stupid" and "stupid", believing that the allegations were part of a plot to undermine President Donald Trump.

The Justice Ministry accused Butina of having established lines of communication with American politicians in recent years to "penetrate the US national decision-making apparatus to advance the agenda of the day. of the Russian Federation. "

The indictment states that as part of this plot, Butina had discussions with a Russian official – Alexander Torshin, influential vice governor of the Russian central bank – about his plan to "meet a US congressman during a congressional visit to Moscow in August 2015".

The name of Rohrabacher appeared several times last year for his meetings with people related to the Kremlin. Russian interference in the 2016 election, although he was not accused of any wrongdoing. In 2012, Rohrabacher was warned by the FBI that Russia was trying to recruit him as a spy. Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs said Rohrabacher did not know if he was the unnamed deputy discussed in the affidavit. But Grubbs confirmed that Rohrabacher and an American delegation attended a breakfast with Torshin, organized by Butina, in a hotel in St. Petersburg (not Moscow) in August 2015.

Congress records show that Rohrabacher and New York Democrat Rep. Gregory Meeks – the two main members of the Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats Subcommittee of the House of Representatives – went to Russia from August 4 to August 6, 2015. An adviser to Mr. Meeks has stated that with Butina and said that Meeks was there to counterbalance Rohrabacher's pro-Russian views.

Grubbs stated that Rohrabacher remembered Butina only as a help to Torshin and "quite minimal and inconsequential otherwise." Rohrabacher spoke with Torshin "That's what he's doing as chair of the subcommittee (Foreign Affairs)," Grubbs said. "He is very cautious in what he says and always tries to take in. He automatically assumes that the people he meets in these foreign countries, that they could do more than the work that they do." They did not think that (Butina) matched the profile of a spy. "

Rohrabacher has stated in the past that some in the federal government want to perpetuate a cold war with Russia, while He said that he wanted to warm relationships. He reiterated this statement on Monday, telling Politico that "deep" US agents were trying to "undermine the president's ability to have better relations with Russia."