Maria Butina

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Biden's Accuser Defects to Russia
Biden's Accuser
Defects to Russia
May 31, 2023 10:00 AM CDT

Biden's Accuser Defects to Russia

Tara Reade says she finally feels 'safe,' 'heard,' and 'respected'

(Newser) - Tara Reade has defected to Russia. The woman who accuses President Biden of sexually assaulting her when she worked in his Senate office in 1993 revealed the move in a Tuesday news conference in Moscow that "lasted several hours," CNN reports. Reade spoke with Russian state media outlets...

Russia's 'Z' Symbol Means Nothing, and Everything

In the space of two weeks, the Z has evolved into Russia’s favorite nationalist insignia

(Newser) - The notorious white Z seen on Russian military vehicles in Ukraine has been a source of global speculation. As is sometimes the case when social media sleuths converge, most guesses proved to be overly complex and plain wrong. Per the BBC , citing a Russian special forces vet and pro-Kremlin newspapers,...

Still Jailed Over Media Leak, Reality Winner Turns to Biden
Reality Winner Wants Biden
Answer on 'Glaring Discrepancy'
in case you missed it
May 1, 2021 12:08 PM CDT

Reality Winner Wants Biden Answer on 'Glaring Discrepancy'

Jailed for leaking intel report, she wants to know why she's behind bars for longer than Russian spy

(Newser) - Reality Winner, who's been behind bars for nearly four years , is set to be released from prison at the end of November, with a chance she could be sent to a halfway house before that. But the 29-year-old Air Force veteran—who leaked a classified National Security Agency report...

Russian Operative Heads Home
Butina's Next Stop: Russia
Oct 25, 2019 2:53 PM CDT

Butina's Next Stop: Russia

Russian operative will be deported after being freed from prison

(Newser) - Maria Butina, the Russian who pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as a clandestine foreign agent by making connections with the Trump administration, NRA, and other conservative heavy-hitters, has been freed from federal prison. She was turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation Friday, NPR reports. Butina...

Senate Report Calls NRA a Russian Asset for Election

Democratic investigation finds group might have broken tax laws

(Newser) - A Democratic senator charges in a new report that the National Rifle Association acted as a "foreign asset" for Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election, and that NRA insiders provided access to the American political system to advance personal business interests. The report by Oregon Sen. Ron...

Overstock CEO Resigns After 'Deep State' Controversy

Patrick Byrne had relationship with accused Russian agent, then started working with FBI

(Newser) - The longtime CEO of online retailer Overstock.com is resigning, and the reason is about as strange as it gets for these kinds of things. Patrick Byrne has been in the hot seat since revealing earlier this month that he had a three-year relationship with accused Russian agent Maria Butina...

Alleged Russian Agent Maria Butina Learns Her Fate

She'll serve 9 more months in prison before deportation

(Newser) - "I came here to better my life to get a degree," Maria Butina told a US federal court on Friday. "Now I'm a convicted felon with no money, no job, and no freedom." The Russian gun rights activist was sentenced to 18 months in prison...

Maria Butina's US Boyfriend Hit With Charges

GOP fundraiser Paul Erickson pleads not guilty to wire fraud, money laundering

(Newser) - The US boyfriend of Russian spy Maria Butina is facing charges of his own. Conservative political operative Paul Erickson pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 11 counts of wire fraud and money laundering, which "appear largely unrelated" to the conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential race, reports CNN . For now,...

Maria Butina Admits Plot to Infiltrate NRA

Pleads guilty to single conspiracy charge

(Newser) - A Russian woman accused of being a secret agent admitted Thursday that she conspired to infiltrate the American gun-rights movement to gather intelligence on conservative political groups as Donald Trump rose to power. Maria Butina, 30, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with...

Maria Butina Will Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Charge
Maria Butina Will Plead
Guilty to Conspiracy Charge
THE RUNDOWN
Dec 11, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Maria Butina Will Plead Guilty to Conspiracy Charge

Alleged Russian spy reaches deal with feds

(Newser) - An alleged spy accused of trying to infiltrate American organizations including the NRA might be on her way back to Russia soon. Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist who was arrested in July and is currently being held in solitary confinement at a federal facility in Alexandria, Va., has...

Prosecutors: We May Have Misjudged Maria Butina

The accused Russian spy likely didn't trade sex for access

(Newser) - Prosecutors are walking back the most salacious —and headline grabbing—claim they have made in the case against alleged Russian spy Maria Butina. Per the AP , a Justice Department filing indicates prosecutors are admitting they may have been wrong about the assertion that Butina peddled sex in exchange for...

Russian Lawmaker Presses Rand Paul on Alleged Spy

Kentucky senator is visiting Moscow

(Newser) - When President Trump was taking all kinds of flak after his meeting with Vladimir Putin last month, one of his most vocal defenders was Rand Paul, who praised the president for working to "prevent us from having World War III," per CBS News . On Monday, the Kentucky senator...

Russia: OK, Release Our Accused Spy

Moscow calls charges against Maria Butina 'fabricated,' asks Pompeo to release her

(Newser) - The week of Russia whiplash continues , with Moscow now demanding the release of a Russian woman accused of being a covert spy , reports the New York Times . Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the request Saturday during a phone call to counterpart Mike Pompeo in which he "stressed that the...

Prosecutors: Maria Butina Tried to Trade Sex for Access

Feds lay out more allegations against accused Russian spy

(Newser) - The US government on Wednesday continued to flesh out its case against the 29-year-old Siberian woman accused of spying for Russia , and its most recently revealed allegations include offers of sex and contacts with the spy agency that succeeded the KGB. Prosecutors laid out the allegations in documents filed Wednesday...

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