Butina admits conspiring as Kremlin agent

Bloomberg

Maria Butina pleaded guilty to acting as an undeclared Russian agent in the US and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, advancing an inquiry into Russia’s efforts to build back-channels to politically connected Americans.
The 30-year-old gun enthusiast operated as a Kremlin agent as she befriended National Rifle Association leaders (NRA) and influential US conservatives, she admitted in federal court in Washington.
“Butina sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over US politics,” prosecutor Erik Kenerson said at the hearing, reading from the government’s statement of facts.
Asked by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan if she agreed with the government’s characterisation of the conspiracy, Butina said yes. Russia accused the US of efforts to “break” Butina by keeping her in solitary confinement.
As part of the plea agreement, Butina may provide information about Paul Erickson. Erickson matches the description of a man referred to as “US Person 1” in Butina’s charging documents. That person connected her with influential Republicans and wrote in a message that he had been involved “in securing a VERY private line of communication between the Kremlin” and key officials of the NRA, prosecutors said.
Erickson has visited Butina in jail several times this year, according to her attorney, Robert Driscoll. Bill Hurd, Erickson’s lawyer, said his client is “a good American” who “has never done anything to hurt our country and never would.” Hurd was in the courtroom for the proceedings. He declined to comment afterward.
The NRA didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that while Butina told Russian diplomats who visited her the previous day that she pleaded guilty of her own free will, prison authorities have kept her in conditions usually reserved for “dangerous” criminals.
“There are reasons to believe that these conditions were designed to break her will and force her to admit what she most likely didn’t do,’’ Lavrov said. “We will do everything to defend the rights of our citizen, so she can come home as soon as possible.”
President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, branded the charges against Butina as “baseless” in a conference call with reporters.
Butina, who remains jailed, faces a maximum of five years in prison, but she won’t be sentenced immediately. Her cooperation could lead to a reduced punishment. The judge scheduled a status hearing for February 12.
Butina was arrested in July. While in the US starting in 2015, she was working to advance Russia’s interests, reporting regularly to a senior Russian official.