Has handed over her boss: what did Maria Butina confess to - ForumDaily
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Passed her boss: what else did Maria Butina admit

Russian woman Maria Butina acknowledged on Wednesday in court that her actions were part of a conspiracy to establish informal contacts with Americans who could influence US policy.

Photo: mariabutinafund.ru

At disposal with the BBC There is a document that signed Butina. It describes in some detail its activities in the United States.

In essence, Butina agreed with the version of the accusation that she was trying to establish a network of contacts at the National Shooting Association of the USA (NSA). It is believed that this organization can have a significant impact on policy in North America.

The girl also said she was ready to talk about a US citizen, with whom she entered into a conspiracy to establish contacts in local political circles, and about a Russian official who, according to Butina, led her actions.

By this official, I mean Alexander Torshin, who recently left the post of deputy chairman of the Bank of Russia, whose assistant was Butina for several years.

Американец, о котором идет речь, — это активист Республиканской партии из Южной Дакоты Пол Эриксон.

Russian woman arrested in Washington in July this year. She is accused of working as a foreign agent without registration in order to promote Russia's interests in the United States.

Part one. Butina’s plan

Согласно признательным показаниям Бутиной, в марте 2015 года она написала проект «Описание дипломатии».

The document said that the official methods of communication with politicians in the United States work inefficiently, therefore, it is necessary to build informal channels of communication, primarily with the Republican Party.

Maria offered herself as a person who can make such contacts.

Butyna also suggested that Donald Trump would win in the US 2016 presidential election of the year.

В показаниях есть забавная деталь. Бутина отмечает, что написала «Описание дипломатии» на русском, затем перевела его при помощи бесплатного онлайн-сервиса Google translate и отправила Эриксону, чтобы попросить совет.

According to Butina’s confessions, Erickson acted as an expert and helped determine the circle of influential politicians who are worth going to.

Затем Бутина, по ее словам, отправила «Описание дипломатии» Торшину и запросила 125 тыс. долларов на участие в различных конференциях и организацию встреч с нужными людьми. Торшин заверил девушку, что ее предложение будет поддержано «по крайней мере частично».

From 2012 to 2015, Maria Butina worked as an assistant to Alexander Torshin, who was then the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council of Russia.

Immediately after his arrest with Butinoy, Alexander Torshin, who had already worked at the Central Bank for a long time, went on leave, and then on sick leave, and did not appear at work until the end of autumn, a BBC source close to the Central Bank said. 30 November became aware of his resignation.

Еще на посту сенатора Торшин был известен как активный сторонник легализации боевого короткоствольного (так называемого карманного) оружия. Торшин является почетным членом российской общественной организации «Право на оружие», которую создала Бутина, и пожизненным членом Национальной стрелковой ассоциации (НСА) США.

Torshin’s passion for weapons-related topics has been actively discussed in the context of the alleged interference of the Russian authorities in the American elections.

Часть вторая. От слов — к делу

Implementing her plan, Butina went to the NSA conference in April 2015 and told her about her work to promote the use of small arms in Russia. She also invited influential representatives of the NSA to Moscow.

This visit took place in December 2015. According to Butina’s testimony, Torshin organized a meeting of representatives of the NSA with high-ranking politicians in Moscow.

Бутина призналась, что участвовала в нескольких обедах с участием «американца с большими связями». В ходе таких встреч она узнавала о том, как влиятельные люди в США относятся к налаживанию отношений с Москвой, а также продвигала свои предложения и интересы.

According to Butina’s testimony, Erickson helped her by preparing her for these meetings and collecting information about those who would be invited to dinner.

В 2017 году Бутина, как отмечается в документе, помогала «российскому чиновнику» — за этим обозначением скрывается Торшин — организовать поездку российской делегации на Национальный молитвенный завтрак в Вашингтон в 2017 году.

This annual event has been attended by presidents of the United States for more than half a century.

Photo: MARIA BUTINA / FACEBOOK

According to the indictment, Torshin gave Butin’s direct instructions on whom to include in the delegation, and she acted on his instructions.

Затем Бутина отправила список приглашенных Эриксону по электронной почте, отметив, что людей отбирали лично Торшин и она, и что они приедут выстраивать «неофициальный канал коммуникации».

Позднее Эриксон отправил другому человеку этот список по электронной почте, написав, что «реакция на приезд [российской] делегации в Америку будет передана НАПРЯМУЮ президенту России и министру иностранных дел» (орфография сохранена).

Согласно показаниям Бутиной, в составе делегации на Молитвенном завтраке были 16 человек, в том числе — Торшин, депутаты Госдумы, а также политолог Андрей Колядин, тогда еще глава города Якутска Айсен Николаев, исполнительный директор университета «Синергия» Вадим Лобов, а также члены общественных организаций.

It is known that at the Prayer Breakfast, the head of the Duma Budget Committee, Andrei Makarov, met with Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacker.

Рорабакер, которого в СМИ называли «любимым конгрессменом Путина», на выборах 6 ноября 2018 года свое кресло в Капитолии потерял.

At the same time, Kolyadin told the BBC that he had no relation to his trip to Butin's prayer breakfast.

Part Three Consultation

In addition to organizing meetings, Butina told Torshin what she did in the United States and how she studies the country's political landscape before the 2016 elections of the year.

She answered his questions and reported on the work done on her own initiative, it follows from the documents on her case. Butina also consulted with Torshin with whom she would meet in the USA.

She found out from him whether Russian officials were ready to meet with certain people in America, and asked what to do with contacts that had already been established. With whom it was Butina, who managed to build connections, it is not specified in the documents.

At the same time, Butina was worried that after the elections in the United States, both about her and Torshin would be forgotten.

In her testimony, Maria noted that, as far as she knows, Torshin acts in consultation with the Russian Foreign Ministry and her bosses at the Central Bank.

Например, в мае 2016 года Торшин попросил Бутину написать ему объяснение, зачем ему ехать в США на ежегодную встречу организации «Право на оружие», которой Бутина руководила в России. Она в ответ пояснила, что это позволит ему встретиться с американскими политиками.

At the same time, Butina, according to her testimony, knew that Torshin would transmit this information to the Foreign Ministry and the Central Bank leadership.

Позднее в ноябре, отвечая на вопрос Бутиной о том, ему как построить диалог с советниками Трампа, Торшин сказал ей, что МИД «вряд ли на такое пойдет».

Speaking before a court in the United States, Butina admitted that she had such dialogues with Torshin.

В обмен на сделку со следствием Бутина может получить улучшение условий содержания и смягчение приговора. В документе, полученном Би-би-си, говорится, что «с высокой долей вероятности» вскоре после признания своей вины Бутина может быть экстрадирована из США в Россию.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that it considers the case of Butina to be fabricated.

«Эта вот девушка несчастная сидит, наша Бутина, ей грозит 15 лет лишения свободы, за что? Я когда услышал, что вокруг нее что-то происходит, у нас публичное мероприятие, да мне и скрывать нечего, для начала я опросил всех руководителей наших спецслужб, кто такая? Никто о ней вообще ничего не знает. Единственное, что о ней кто-то что-то знает — в Совете Федераций, она у кого-то из замов, что ли, работала, все. Ей за это 15 лет может быть назначено, это вообще что такое?», — заявил президент России Владимир Путин во вторник.

Delo Butina

Formally, the case of Maria Butina has nothing to do with the investigation of Special Prosecutor Robert Muller about Russia's attempt to intervene in the US presidential election in 2016.

However, Butina may become the first Russian woman convicted on charges related to attempts to influence American politics in the pre-election period.

According to US media reports, the FBI has been following the girl since at least 2016.

In developing the girl, US intelligence agencies conducted several searches at her home, as well as checked the contents of the laptop and iPhone. As a result, the FBI discovered signs that during her business trip to the US, Butina maintained contacts with officials, who apparently were Russian intelligence agents.

In particular, she had a list of contacts of persons working in the FSB. For example, her electronic contact list reportedly contained an email account from a domain that is associated with the FSB. What kind of account is not specified.

FBI surveillance showed Butina in the company of a Russian diplomat in the weeks leading up to his departure from the United States in March of this year. The FBI suspects that the diplomat “with whom Butina shared private meals” was a Russian intelligence officer.

Russian woman was arrested in July of this year.

The judge refused to release Butina on bail, and the girl was in solitary confinement in a Washington prison. According to unofficial data, she is taken out of her cell for two hours a day, most often at night.

In prison, Butinu was regularly visited by Russian diplomats, whose unusual concern for her was used by the prosecutor's office as another proof of the girl’s guilt.

In September, prosecutors sent a petition to the judge, in which they pointedly noted that at that time the Russian government had made six consular visits to Butina and sent four diplomatic notes on her case to the State Department.

According to prosecutors, over the past month Russia has sent more diplomatic notes in defense of the accused than about any other Russian citizen arrested in the United States over the past year.

Contrary to popular belief, Butina was charged with violating not the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), for which she would face up to 5 years in prison, but 951 of the federal criminal code, for which the court could sentence her to 10 years.

FARA — закон принятый в 1938 году, наказывает за вмешательство в американскую политическую жизнь лиц и организаций, действующих в интересах иностранной державы без предварительной регистрации в минюсте.

Article 951 была принята в 1948 году и похожа по своим формулировкам на FARA, но здесь они еще шире — в статье говорится о любой деятельности в интересах иностранной державы и без регистрации на территории США, а не только о вмешательстве в узко понимаемый политический процесс. Максимальное наказание тоже жестче — до 10 лет.

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