Maria Butina, a central figure in Russian efforts to infiltrate the NRA, was arrested today in Washington, D.C.
Anton Novoderezhkin/ZUMA
A central figure in Russia’s campaign to seduce the NRA – the subject of a Rolling Stone investigation in April – has been arrested in Washington, D.C.
Maria Butina is charged with “conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States.” A supporting affidavit alleges a Russian campaign “to infiltrate” a “GUN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION” (by all appearances the NRA) to “advance the interests of the Russian Federation.”
The criminal complaint alleges Butina and others conspired to “commit an offense against the United States.” The complaint describes Butina as working at the direction of a “Russian Federation official” who is not named, but whose detailed description aligns with Alexander Torshin, a former top Russian Senator and current Russian central banker, who was recently hit with U.S. sanctions.
Torshin is another key figure in the Rolling Stone investigation, which describes how the duo spent years gaining the trust of leaders of the National Rifle Association, and used those contacts, and the NRA’s annual meetings, to make overtures to top Republicans, including the Trump campaign. The FBI is investigating whether illicit Russian funding made its way into NRA coffers…
