'Alleged' Russian spy, Maria Butina, to plea guilty

[PACOX]

WASHINGTON — Maria Butina, the alleged Russian spy currently held in solitary confinement in a Virginia prison, appears to have brokered a plea deal with the government.

On Monday morning, Butina's attorneys and federal prosecutors filed a joint motion to schedule a "change of plea" hearing before the D.C. District Court. "The parties have resolved this matter," the court document read.

Later in the day, Jude Tanya S. Chutkan accepted the motion and scheduled the hearing for Wednesday afternoon.

Butina, a 30-year-old Russian national, was indicted and arrested in July on charges of conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent. The case was investigated by the FBI's Washington, D.C. field office, with charges brought by the U.S. attorney's office of the District of Columbia and the National Security Division of the Justice Department. It's not a part of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in U.S. elections.

Prosecutors allege she violated U.S. espionage laws by infiltrating U.S. political groups on behalf of a high-ranking official in Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle, Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank. Butina pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last month, a federal court rejected a request by Butina's attorneys to remove her from solitary confinement. Her lawyers cited a lack of "meaningful human contact" and "sensory stimulation" in prison.

Clare Hymes and Rob Legare contributed to this report.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/accused...t-guilty-plea/

Who? Maria Butina, Russia spy shilling within the NRA for Russia. Rubbing elbows with GOP seat holders and lobbyists alike.

The NRA: One of the biggest campaign contributors for the GOP. Turns out there get a decent amount of change and influence from Russia.

So we have a Russian (alleged) spy who buttering up the NRA the NRA who is then buttering up the GOP.

Now pay-2-play here right?

Anyway she now wants to plea guilty. We know two things about Russian spies. They either go missing or then get a lot of people in trouble. Everything is going to be fine, right?

[Skroe]

I say we lock her up forever and throw away the key.

You want to deter foreign spying? Throw her in solitary until the end of time.

[Xarkan]

I say we lock her up forever and throw away the key.

You want to deter foreign spying? Throw her in solitary until the end of time.

What then would be the incentive to admit guilt?

[Skroe]

What then would be the incentive to admit guilt?

How about letting her out of solitary for a few minutes each day?

[Dead Moose Fandango]

How about letting her out of solitary for a few minutes each day?

I dunno about locking her up in solitary for the rest of her life. That shit really screws you up. There're very few I'd wish that on. But definately keep a harsh sentence up.

[Skroe]

I dunno about locking her up in solitary for the rest of her life. That shit really screws you up. There're very few I'd wish that on. But definately keep a harsh sentence up.

She's a spy. It is only because evolving standards of decency have perhaps, evolved too much, that her sentence isn't being put in front of a firing squad.

Prison for a spy doesn't even deserve the pretense of rehabilitation or settling some debt to society. It's pure punishment.



I'm generally against capital punishment in almost all cases nowdays. But terrorists, spies, war criminals and traitors? They deserve the hangman's noose, so to speak. Not some ridiculous humane lethal injection. Execution by firing squad. If society is going to take a life (which again is something I'm generally against) dressing it up like a medical procedure is an obscenity.

[Machismo]

She's got ties to at least a couple GOP politicians, so expect more of them to go down in flames. They may try to avoid it, by deciding to not seek re-election. We don't know if this will tie all the way to Trump, but we do know it does tie in with the NRA. In the mother of all ironies, the "Great American" NRA is a mouthpiece for fucking Russia of all places. Yes, the very people who swear they hate communists until the day they die, are now climbing into bed with those very same people.

[Breccia]

Torture does not get results.

If Butina was really pushed one step closer to the edge by solitary, and if she's about to break, that doesn't magically instill her with information that's both true and can be corroborated. And, as such, it's worthless in a court of law unless it's both. Seriously, if a couple of GTA V thugs appeared out of nowhere and beat me with blunt objects until I gave up the local bank's vault combination, I'd last, I dunno, three to six seconds before handing them numbers that would do nothing because I don't have that combination.

Also, I realize she's in solitary and hasn't been up-to-date on the news but one would assume this is Law 101 stuff, lying to law enforcement (such as, say, making shit up to get a plea deal) is the opposite of help.

Also also, at sentencing, a judge can throw out the guilty plea if he doesn't believe it. Which being tortured until you confess would totally do.

Also also also OH GOD INCEPTION, we've heard the name Torshin before. Recently. May. He was wiretapped in Spain. Also, he got chummy with...yep...upcoming indictee Trump Jr. At an NRA dinner. So Butina probably has useful information to give about her, erm, fucking around in the NRA.

Torshin has already been sanctioned because Trump copy-pasted the sanction list from Mueller's suspects. I'm not sure what else we can throw at the guy, since Putin will never extradite and he'd be an idiot to enter another country right now (cough Chinese exec cough). But I'm curious to hear what she said, that would actually be worth a plea deal. "Let me out!" isn't it.

[cubby]

I say we lock her up forever and throw away the key.

You want to deter foreign spying? Throw her in solitary until the end of time.

How about we threaten to lock her up in solitary for live (treason has some groovy punishments available to use) and then get her to spill the beans on the GOP's involvement with money laundering campaign funds? Then keep in her in prison for "awhile".

The article said this wasn't part of the Mueller investigation. I highly doubt the two will continue to be separate, if in fact the article was correct.

[Milchshake]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/accused...t-guilty-plea/

Who? Maria Butina, Russia spy shilling within the NRA for Russia. Rubbing elbows with GOP seat holders and lobbyists alike.

The NRA: One of the biggest campaign contributors for the GOP. Turns out there get a decent amount of change and influence from Russia.

So we have a Russian (alleged) spy who buttering up the NRA the NRA who is then buttering up the GOP.

Now pay-2-play here right?

Anyway she now wants to plea guilty. We know two things about Russian spies. They either go missing or then get a lot of people in trouble. Everything is going to be fine, right?

Option 3, go home and become a b-list celebrity. Wait, I think I think Anna Chapman was also elevated to some ministry. Maybe vice-waifu of internet trolls.

Anyways, I'm guessing Trump goes all bridge of spies and trades her for a big Mac and a diet coke.


Ironic how Comey shafted all deep state professionals.

[cubby]

She's got ties to at least a couple GOP politicians, so expect more of them to go down in flames. They may try to avoid it, by deciding to not seek re-election. We don't know if this will tie all the way to Trump, but we do know it does tie in with the NRA. In the mother of all ironies, the "Great American" NRA is a mouthpiece for fucking Russia of all places. Yes, the very people who swear they hate communists until the day they die, are now climbing into bed with those very same people.

I still speculate that this is one of the reasons so many high-level GOP peeps resigned or decided not to seek reelection. The russian campaign contribution and money laundering ties go deep.

[Machismo]

I still speculate that this is one of the reasons so many high-level GOP peeps resigned or decided not to seek reelection. The russian campaign contribution and money laundering ties go deep.

There's a lot of secrets in DC, and it's one of the more fascinating things about the place. It's also one of the areas where many on both sides will work to keep those secrets under wraps, even for political opponents. Of course, now that the lid has been blown off, it's a hurricane, and they are genuinely scared. This isn't just about political careers, it's about their marriages, their kids hating them, and their future earnings at stake. Ironically, the Trumpsters may end up draining the swamp... of themselves.

And Fox News and MSNBC can only pay so many political pundits, so some of these people will need to get real jobs.

[PACOX]

She's got ties to at least a couple GOP politicians, so expect more of them to go down in flames. They may try to avoid it, by deciding to not seek re-election. We don't know if this will tie all the way to Trump, but we do know it does tie in with the NRA. In the mother of all ironies, the "Great American" NRA is a mouthpiece for fucking Russia of all places. Yes, the very people who swear they hate communists until the day they die, are now climbing into bed with those very same people.

There was just an article (a week ago, news is moving fast now.) about undisclosed money that Trump received from the NRA. It could mean nothing or it could have been laundered through...Them. Probably not but nothing is surprising anyway.

[ohtlmtlm]

she's not alleged if she pleas guilty

[Machismo]

There was just an article (a week ago, news is moving fast now.) about undisclosed money that Trump received from the NRA. It could mean nothing or it could have been laundered through...Them. Probably not but nothing is surprising anyway.

Oh, the NRA is neck deep in this shit, and everyone knows it. They helped peddle white-nationalist bullshit and gave the GOP MILLIONS this election cycle. It had almost nothing to do with gun rights, and was all about pushing Trump. The NRA has no morals, and their one stated principle flew out the window. Anyone who is stupid enough to continue giving them money is a god-damned moron.

And this is coming from the strongest 2nd-Amendment supporter you will find. Fuck the NRA.

[cubby]

There was just an article (a week ago, news is moving fast now.) about undisclosed money that Trump received from the NRA. It could mean nothing or it could have been laundered through...Them. Probably not but nothing is surprising anyway.

The feds got into the NRA's financials awhile back. Pretty sure they got their tax returns as well. So much going on right now.

If the NRA was laundering or funneling money from Russia, and that money went into not only Trump's campaign fund (which we know it did) but into the General Fund and other high end GOP candidates, this could be the issue that tears the GOP apart. IIRC, you don't have to know the money was illegal to be guilty of accepting illegal campaign funds. There might be some issue with the NRA giving illegal money to the GOP, and the GOP not knowing it was illegal - that might be separate enough to skirt culpability.

But if the GOP knew moneys from the NRA were also moneys from Russia? They are FUCKED. Because it's not just campaign finance law violations. It's objective felonies like Money Laundering and Wire Fraud. All Class A, all come with lots of jail time.

[Canpinter]

What then would be the incentive to admit guilt?

keeping her tea plutonium free

[Breccia]

keeping her tea plutonium free

"That could be anyone's NRA sex tape!"

[Shalcker]

she's not alleged if she pleas guilty

We haven't seen plea deal yet to say that with certainty.

[Felya]

We know two things about Russian spies. They either go missing or then get a lot of people in trouble. Everything is going to be fine, right?

You are missing “if they turn”...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Chapman