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'Russian spy' merchant banker, 61, fled the US after 30 FBI agents showed up at her Manhattan apartment with a battering ram: Dual citizen who 'ran NYC propaganda center and communicated directly with Putin' called convicted spy Maria Butina
https://www.dailymail.co.uk ^ | 9 March 2022 | SNEJANA FARBEROV and NATASHA ANDERSON

Posted on 03/09/2022 9:27:59 AM PST by Beowulf9

An accused Russian spy who worked as a merchant banker in New York City called convicted spy Maria Butina after 30 FBI agents showed up at her apartment with a battering ram.

Elena Branson, 61, who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship, was accused of running a 'Russian propaganda center' in New York and communicating directly with President Vladimir Putin. She shared details of her encounter with the law during a cozy chat with Butina broadcast on Russian state broadcaster RT, and recalled how Butina had been one of the first people she'd contacted.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: dailyfail; elenabranson; fbi; manhattan; mariabutina; natashaanderson; newyork; newyorkcity; nyc; russia; snejanafarberov; spy; tarareade; thedailyfail; vladimirputin; whatsherfrnick
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1 posted on 03/09/2022 9:27:59 AM PST by Beowulf9
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To: Beowulf9

30 FBI Agents?

I doubt all of them could even fit in a NY City apartment.


2 posted on 03/09/2022 9:32:06 AM PST by PGR88
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To: Beowulf9

Does anyone know what her FReeper handle was?


3 posted on 03/09/2022 9:32:16 AM PST by Meet the New Boss (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act)
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To: Beowulf9

“Elena Branson, 61, who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship”
....
It’s time to end or dual citizenship. No one can have allegiance to two separate countries. When a foreign national becomes an American citizen that person swears allegiance to the United States of America and forswears any allegiance to the previous country. When did all of this dual citizenship become acceptable?


4 posted on 03/09/2022 9:34:15 AM PST by Freee-dame
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To: Beowulf9
"An accused Russian spy who worked as a merchant banker in New York City called convicted spy Maria Butina after 30 FBI agents showed up at her apartment with a battering ram. Elena Branson, 61, who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship, was accused of running a 'Russian propaganda center' in New York and communicating directly with President Vladimir Putin."

I'm no lawyer, but we are not officially at war with Russia, and is it a crime to call Vladimir Putin and dispense information reflecting the Russian point of view? Is it a crime to call Butina? And 30 FBI agents? Don't they reserve that kind of show of force for January 6th trespassers?
5 posted on 03/09/2022 9:35:59 AM PST by Steve_Seattle
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To: Freee-dame

The US doesn’t recognize dual citizenship except for people who are minors, they can hold it until they are of age and then they have to pick one or the other.

However, we can’t stop other countries from granting dual citizenship even if we don’t recognize it.


6 posted on 03/09/2022 9:36:51 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: Steve_Seattle
Is it a crime to call Butina? And 30 FBI agents? Don't they reserve that kind of show of force for January 6th trespassers?

They'll come up with something.

7 posted on 03/09/2022 9:38:59 AM PST by PGR88
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To: Steve_Seattle

It’d be a crime on free republic if some had their way

Just last night one said

“We need to keep a list here of these traitors”

Anyone not wanting to engage in the conflict is a traitor per this gang

A gang laden with nevertrumpers


8 posted on 03/09/2022 9:40:51 AM PST by wardaddy (Free Republic has gone insane but it's fun)
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To: Boogieman

That may have been the rule in the past but not now. My sister-in-law is a naturalized US citizen who was allowed to keep her original citizenship when she became a US citizen.


9 posted on 03/09/2022 9:41:36 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Beowulf9
“Elena Branson, 61, who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship”"

I hope not anymore...

10 posted on 03/09/2022 9:42:30 AM PST by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
Manhattan? Let's get Tish James on the case!

11 posted on 03/09/2022 9:44:08 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Beowulf9

Was Fang Fang ever arrested by US agents? I think she was arrested in Hong Kong, but what the the US DOJ give her a pass? She was obviously a spy.


12 posted on 03/09/2022 9:45:49 AM PST by Fido969 (45 is Superman!)
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To: Boogieman

That’s wrong. Japan does that. But us allows dual citizenship


13 posted on 03/09/2022 9:45:57 AM PST by for-q-clinton (Cancel Culture IS fascism...Let's start calling it that!)
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To: Steve_Seattle
Branson... now faces a six-count indictment, which includes charges of failing to register as a foreign agent, and of lying to FBI investigators during an interview

This is how they came after General Flynn, claiming he was an unregistered foreign agent for Turkey. Papadopoulos was threatened with charges he was an unregistered foreign agent for Israel.

Half of the beltway are unregistered foreign agents. Speaking of Israel, how many lobbyists in D.C. would be caught in the net if the law were strictly applied to everyone?

And think of the Clintons and their foundation, how much money did they take from foreign governments and cut-outs, with a few to doing favors for those foreign governments? Are they not foreign agents?

This is selectively used by the deep state a way to go after political opponents and shield political allies.

There are of course real foreign agents who are of concern, which is perhaps what an FBI that was not the enforcement arm of the Democrat Party might focus on.

14 posted on 03/09/2022 9:50:03 AM PST by Meet the New Boss (In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act)
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To: Beowulf9

...called convicted spy Maria Butina

Remember, Butina is an FBI informant who tried to setup then candidate Trump during a meeting with him.


15 posted on 03/09/2022 9:50:16 AM PST by Flick Lives (The CDC. Brought to you by Pfizer)
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To: Boogieman

I have a suggestion. We can allow dual citizenship, but nobody who has citizenship in another country is allowed to vote, hold political office or work for the government at any level.


16 posted on 03/09/2022 9:55:46 AM PST by DrDavid (George Orwell was an optimist.)
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To: Boogieman
The US doesn’t recognize dual citizenship except for people who are minors, they can hold it until they are of age and then they have to pick one or the other.

Where did you get that insanely wrong information from?

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/Advice-about-Possible-Loss-of-US-Nationality-Dual-Nationality/Dual-Nationality.html

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/343/717/

17 posted on 03/09/2022 9:57:33 AM PST by TexasGurl24
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To: Beowulf9

There are no 61 year-old merchant bankers.

Hardly any over 45.


18 posted on 03/09/2022 10:00:44 AM PST by FlyingEagle
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To: Freee-dame

—> No one can have allegiance to two separate countries

Depends.

For most it is simply a travel document or an emotional connection.

Supreme Court ruled it OK.


19 posted on 03/09/2022 10:06:41 AM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (Fraud vitiates everything.)
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To: PGR88
30 FBI Agents?

OMG - almost half the number of agents sent to NASCAR to 'investigate' the elusive 'noose' AKA a garage pull.

Almost half the number of agents sent to Ferguson to investigate a young police officer who was almost murdered by a black criminal.

Is it possible the FBI is accidentally doing their job and going after people working against our country and NOT just people who MIGHT have hurt the feelings of members of White liberal 'elite's chosen victim groups?

20 posted on 03/09/2022 10:07:11 AM PST by GOPJ (We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. Ayn Rand)
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