Putin: My spy chiefs know nothing about alleged agent Butina in U.S

Reuters ^ | December 11, 2018 | Reuters Staff

[yesthatjallen]

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday it was unclear to him why a Russian woman, Maria Butina, had been detained in the United States and accused of being a Russian agent because his intelligence chiefs had told him they knew nothing about her.

“...she risks 15 years in jail. For what?” asked Putin. “...I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is going on. Nobody knows anything about her.”

[Mr. K]

What do they expect him to say?

“Yeah, ok,... you caught us. Boy are our faces red!”

[gunnyg]

“I know nothing!”

memorable line from tv’syesteryears.......
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[petitfour]

I can’t remember . . .

James Comey

[Spok]

I’d be more suspicious if he didn’t deny it.

[billakay]

I don’t for a second believe that Maria Butina works for Russian intelligence. The forces going after Trump are the same forces that are maliciously prosecuting her. This is a political prosecution, nothing more, nothing less.

[rxsid]

It is an interesting "denial" though.

I asked around and nobody knows her...instead of something more typical, simply saying they aren't a spy or weren't engaged in any illegal activities.

[marktwain]

I doubt she is a spy. She is not accused of spying.

All she is accused of is being an unregistered foreign agent.

Another pawn caught up in the anti-Russian ferment of the "Get Trump" moment.

Her big crime is to become involved with a U.S. politician. From CNN:

The Russian national stands accused of working with her mentor, Alexander Torshin, to develop "back channel" communication with US politicians, according to an FBI affidavit.

Butina spoke little at her first appearance in court Monday. According to her attorney Robert Driscoll, Butina testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in closed session several months ago and was subject to an FBI raid in April.

"We've been trying to work something out, unsuccessfully, with the government, who seems intent on pressing forward with incarceration, notwithstanding, you know, a pretty weak case," Driscoll said Monday.

So she has been held in jail for eight months on this nothingburger charge.

[MeganC]

“So she has been held in jail for eight months on this nothingburger charge.”

Of course. Because Mueller is trying to find a way to link her to President Trump. Maybe he can blackmail her into saying something bad about the President.

At the least she’s being held because letting her go would contribute to dialing down the Russia hysteria coming from the left.

[billakay]

One thing that I saw consistently in the stories about her was the incredulity that she could be an “activist” wanting to bring about better gun rights in Russia (as if there is zero activism/civil society and, for that matter, gun rights, in Russia).