Wordsmithing Russian: Agent, Envoy, Operative, or Go-Between a Spy is Still a Spy

A big fish: NRA's Wayne LaPierre

A few hooks to help catch bigger fish

(Jindal, Santorum, Keene, Walker)

Call her any name you choose – she was working on the behalf of the Russian government and that is Vladimir Putin by any definition: Maria Bu-ti-ná (not pronounced Bü-tina).  A fascinating story and excellent article here from Vox.com re: Butina and her recent Federal indictment.

Introduction: Amid the sprawling scandal over Russian interference with the 2016 election, there’s long been an odd subplot over Russian ties to of all groups, the NRA. That according to McClatchy has been investigated by the FBI.

Now the arrest of 29-year-old Russian national Maria Butina on charges of conspiracy and acting as an agent of a foreign government has put those questions about the famous gun rights group on center stage. 

Despite the new indictment (which is not part of the overall Mueller Russian probe) the full extent of what happened remains mysterious.

(The full text of the Butina indictment is here in .pdf format 29 pages that was posted by the NY TIMES).

Details: It’s long been known that Butina and Russian central bank official Alexander Torshin have spent years cozying up to the NRA. For instance, they’ve hosted NRA bigwigs in Moscow, and Butina was a conspicuous fixture on the conservative conference circuit.

Now, our government alleges that Butina was carrying out a plan to influence American politics on behalf of a Russian government official (Torshin). The plan, they say, was to try to influence the Republican Party to be friendlier to Russia, by way of the NRA. But Butina didn’t inform government officials that she was acting as a foreign agent on American soil, which would be illegal.

Much of Butina’s alleged conduct seems to have involved socializing and attending political events, which may not seem all that dastardly. But, there’s much more to come. 

Our government has now alleged for the first time that Butina used sex — she dated and lived with a Republican political consultant referred to as person #1 in the indictment, turns out to be Paul Erickson, age 56-57, originally from South Dakota. 

Butina also purportedly offered another person (yet unnamed) “sex in exchange for a position with a special interest organization” (not named).

There are also Butina’s publicly known activities during the 2016 campaign, which aren’t mentioned in charging documents. 

For example, she was able to ask Trump a question about Russian sanctions at a public event at the Freedom Fest conference in Las Vegas in July 2015. In fact, Trump himself called on her to ask a question and that raised a ton of questions: His response was picture perfect. Why?

Butina also met Donald Trump Jr. with Torshin at an NRA dinner, and she reportedly bragged that she helped the Trump campaign communicate with Russia. Also, raising a ton of questions.

So, what was Butina’s plan to influence American politics?

The DOJ claims that around March 24, 2015 — as the 2016 presidential campaign was beginning to kick off — Butina emailed Erickson a proposal for a project called “Diplomacy,” apparently looking for his feedback. 

Her email itself had the subject line “The Second Pozner.” An FBI agent’s affidavit suggests that refers to “Vladimir Pozner, a propagandist who served in the disinformation department of the Soviet KGB and who often appeared on Western television.”

The Butina project proposal makes several assertions:

·        Republicans will likely win control of the US government in the 2016 elections.

·        The GOP is “traditionally associated with negative and aggressive foreign policy” toward Russia. But now could be a good time to improve relations.

·        The NRA has a “central place and influence” in the Republican Party since it helps fund political candidates and sponsors events.

·        Butina and Torshin already have ties to the NRA’s leadership, and she’s visited the US.

·        Therefore, Butina requests a $125,000 budget so she can participate in “all upcoming major conferences” related to the Republican Party before the 2016 elections.

Erickson soon wrote back to her with advice on her “special project,” including a list of potential media, business, and political contacts whom she should meet with “off the record.” 

He wrote: “If you were to sit down with your special friends and make a list of ALL the most important contacts you could find in America for a time when the political situation between the U.S. and Russia will change, you could NOT do better than the list that I just emailed you.

All that is needed is for your friends to provide you with the financial resources to spend the time in America to TAKE ALL OF THESE MEETINGS.”

So what we appear to have here is a plan to influence the Republican Party to be friendlier to Russia, based on the perceptive (and accurate) insight that the Republican Party is extremely beholden to the NRA.

All that too was months before Donald Trump entered the race, and when most believed the GOP would choose a more traditional (and hawkish) nominee, and not Trump.

Noteworthy: As for who was ultimately behind it? A more recent government filing also mentions that Butina refers to a particular “funder” who has “deep ties to the Russian Presidential Administration.” That is not Torshin but rather a Russian oligarch who has a net worth Forbes estimates to be about $1.2 billion. This person’s identity is not yet known.

My 2 cents: A lot more interesting material is at the lengthy Vox.com site.

The article is very good research document to bookmark. A lot more is to come as the indictment takes hold and the legal system kicks in to prosecute and possibly see her sentenced to jail (unless she pleas out and blows the whistle, say on Trump, et al), so stay tuned for the final chapter in this more open saga.

Thanks for stopping by.