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U.S. NEWS Thursday 19 July 2018

Tale of sex, deception emerges about suspected Russian agent

By CHAD DAY and ERIC “She’s been aware of a Kislyak, Russia’s former am-
TUCKER criminal investigation into bassador to the U.S.
Associated Press her conduct for months Prosecutors said Butina was
WASHINGTON (AP) — A and made no attempt to also regarded as a covert
29-year-old gun-rights ac- flee,” Driscoll said, saying agent by a Russian offi-
tivist suspected of being a Butina was not a Russian cial with whom she was in
covert Russian agent was agent but rather a “young touch, with text messages
likely in contact with Krem- student seeking to make discovered by the FBI show-
lin operatives while living in her way in America.” ing how the official likened
the United States, prosecu- Citing her intelligence ties, her to Anna Chapman, a
tors said Wednesday, ac- the government had ar- Russian woman who was
cusing her of using sex and gued that Butina’s legal arrested in 2010 and then
deception to forge influen- status in the U.S. was based deported as part of a pris-
tial connections. on “deception,” saying oner swap.
The woman, Maria Butina, her student visa and enroll- In March 2017, following
was photographed by the ment at American Univer- news coverage of Butina,
FBI dining privately with a sity were a cover for her the Russian official wrote: This courtroom sketch depicts Maria Butina, a 29-year-old
Russian diplomat suspect- covert work. “Are your admirers asking gun-rights activist suspected of being a covert Russian agent,
listening to Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson as he speaks to
ed of being an intelligence They also argue she posed for your autographs yet? Judge Deborah Robinson, left, during a hearing in federal court
operative in the weeks be- an “extreme” risk of fleeing You have upstaged Anna in Washington, Wednesday, July 18, 2018.
fore the envoy’s departure the U.S. Chapman. Associated Press
from the U.S. last March, Butina was arrested over She poses with toy pistols, ary 20, 2017, when Butina Torshin, a former legislator
prosecutors said. the weekend amid signs while you are being pub- sent the official a photo of who is now a senior official
She also had contact in- that she planned to leave lished with real ones,” ac- herself near the U.S. Capitol in the Central Bank of the
formation for people who the Washington area and cording to the court filing. on the day Donald Trump Russian Federation.
investigators believe were possibly the country, pros- Butina and the official mes- was inaugurated president. Torshin, who became an
employees of Russia’s Fed- ecutors said. saged each other directly According to court pa- NRA life member in 2012,
eral Security Services, or Her lease on an apartment on Twitter, prosecutors said. pers, the Russian official re- was among a group of Rus-
FSB, the successor intelli- ends later this month, her One such exchange oc- sponded: “You’re a dare- sian oligarchs and officials
gence agency to the KGB. belongings were packed curred a month before the devil girl! What can I say!” targeted in April by Trea-
The allegations add to the at the time of her arrest U.S. presidential election, Butina responded, “Good sury Department sanctions
portrait of a Russian wom- and she had applied for a when Butina said she un- teachers!” for their associations with
an who the Justice Depart- visa that would allow her to derstood that “everything Authorities have not named Russian President Vladimir
ment says worked covertly travel to and from the Unit- has to be quiet and care- the Russian official, but dur- Putin and their roles in “ad-
to establish back-channel ed States, prosecutors said. ful.” ing Wednesday’s hearing, vancing Russia’s malign
lines of communication to Her personal ties, “save for They also spoke on Janu- Driscoll said it is Alexander activities.”q
the Kremlin and infiltrate those U.S. persons she at-
U.S. political organizations, tempted to exploit and in-
including the National Rifle fluence,” are to Russia, ac-
Association, and gather in- cording to the government
telligence for a senior Rus- court filing.
sian official to whom she “She has every incentive
reported. to flee,” Assistant U.S. Attor-
Prosecutors also alleged ney Erik Kenerson said dur-
she had a personal rela- ing the hearing,
tionship with an American The government was par-
political operative and of- ticularly concerned Butina
fered sex to another person would attempt to leave
in exchange for a position the U.S. using Russian dip-
with a special interest orga- lomatic facilities or vehi-
nization. cles, Kenerson said, noting
Court papers do not name that American authorities
the individuals or the spe- would be powerless to stop
cial interest group. her due to immunity pro-
Butina awaits trial on tections.
charges of conspiracy and The U.S. has no extradition
acting as an unregistered treaty with Russia, he said.
foreign agent for Russia. During the hearing, pros-
She pleaded not guilty ecutors showed a photo of
Wednesday during a hear- Butina having dinner with a
ing in which U.S. Magistrate man they said was suspect-
Deborah Robinson ordered ed of having ties to Russian
her held in jail as the case intelligence.
moves forward, saying she They also read from notes
was a flight risk. found in her home that in-
After the hearing, Butina’s cluded reference to a po-
attorney, Robert Driscoll, tential job offer from the
told reporters his client re- FSB and noted she had
spected but strongly dis- been photographed with
agreed with the judge’s Russian diplomatic per-
decision. sonnel, including Sergey