Russian Officials To Meet Suspected Spy Jailed In US

[appalachiablue]

Source: Associated Press

MOSCOW -- Russian Embassy officials were to meet Thursday with a Siberian gun rights activist jailed in Washington on charges of spying on the United States, as Moscow blasted the arrest as "anti-Russian hysteria."

The embassy said in a Facebook post that consular officials will meet with Maria Butina for the first time since her Sunday arrest, and will provide her "all necessary help."

Butina, 29, denies wrongdoing, and the Russian government claims the arrest was driven by U.S. domestic politics and an overall anti-Russian mood.

U.S. federal prosecutors accuse Butina of being a covert Russian agent, having contacts with the KGB successor agency FSB, and using sex and deception to forge influential U.S. connections. Court documents released at her hearing Wednesday outlined ways Butina allegedly worked covertly to establish back-channel lines of communication to the Kremlin and infiltrate U.S. political organizations, including the National Rifle Association....more..


Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/russian-officials-to-meet-suspected-spy-jailed-in-us/ar-AAAhReS?li=BBnbfcL

[dembotoz]

1. jailed in a foreign land, you expect help from your embassy

[Roland99]

3. Help in the form of a nice cup of "tea"

[Afromania]

5. "all necessary help." happy trails

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

15. Perhaps they'll give her a pill for her headache.

I guarantee if she takes it her headache will go away, along with her heartbeat.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Will Trump release her?

Does he have that power?

[appalachiablue]

7. I don't know if the president has power, but if so releasing her could

be another PR disaster.

[dalton99a]

10. He can definitely give her a pardon

[PoliticAverse]

12. It has happened that we trade one of theirs for one of ours. n/t

[bucolic_frolic]

14. It's a hypothetical question of course

The real point being she would flee if released, making a pardon's compulsory testify aspects moot.

It's not clear DOJ would cooperate if he found a way to pardon her

But you know Donnie will obliterate any obstacle

[Botany]

4. Is Tom Hagen going to meet w/Butina?

[appalachiablue]

8. LOl

[elleng]

6. 'charged with conspiracy and illegally acting as an agent of the Russian government'

not charged with 'spying.'

'Espionage or spying, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information without the permission of the holder of the information. Spies help agencies uncover secret information.[1] Any individual or spy ring (a cooperating group of spies), in the service of a government, company or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome and in many cases illegal and punishable by law. Espionage is a method of "intelligence" gathering which includes information gathering from public sources.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage

[appalachiablue]

9. Thanks for clarification; I was surprised to see it used in the article.

[elleng]

11. Headlines often miss legal subtleties.

There are and will be many in front of us, for the next years.

[DeminPennswoods]

19. Not charged with spying yet

Every indication is that the arrest trigged a rushed indictment on Tuesday. FBI moved fast because it was clear Butina was getting ready to bolt. The criminal complaint and then the subsequent indictment sure reads like she's a spy, but the US Atty and FBI agents might not have had enough time to indict her for that. It won't suprise me if there's a superceding indictment sooner rather than later.

FWIW, there were Russian Embassy diplomats in attendance at her bond hearing and if she'd have been released, they would have immediately put her in one their cars and she'd have been able to flee the US.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

13. Why are Russian Embassy people even here anymore after that episode this week?

Not being extreme. They should take a hike. A little red pill will end her if they are given physical access to her or shes allowed ANYTHING . They can infuse a document w poison/polonium. They have to contain her and give her an American lawyer. Preferably a JAG Officer. Bad mistake letting russians near russians. She is the key to rolling up all the congress imho.
Ask Malcolm Nance what he thinks.

[eppur_se_muova]

16. Hope they're searched thoroughly, and closely monitored every millisecond ...

wouldn't put it past Putin to remove an awkward potential witness.

[CozyMystery]

17. I agree. The Russians won't be her lawyers, so meeting should be in public area of prison and

there should be an American who understands Russian standing by to listen. Plus a full strip search of the Russians.

I can dream, can't I?

[PSPS]

18. LOL "a Siberian gun rights activist." Yes, there are plenty of those in russia!