Accused Russia agent Maria Butina will plead guilty to conspiracy, and cooperate with all U.S. authorities, including federal, state, and local governments. She is accused of “developing a covert influence operation in the United States,” ABC News reports.
Butina is the supposed Russian gun rights activist who used that cover “to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics,” the plea deal says.
The plea agreement suggests she had a longtime romantic relationship with an American, Republican operative Paul Erickson. She also allegedly conspired with Russian Central Bank deputy governor Alexander Torshin, who is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Under Torshin’s direction, Butina “sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics,” the plea agreement states, according to ABC News.
The Daily Beast notes that “Butina is the first Russian national since the 2016 election to plead guilty to a crime connected to efforts to influence American politics.”
Butina “built relationships in the upper echelons of the American gun rights community; arranged for NRA leaders to travel to Moscow; and bragged that she was a channel between Team Trump and the Kremlin, as The Daily Beast first revealed.”
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