Maria Butina, NRA-linked Russian, pleads not guilty to being Kremlin foreign agent

This is the story that may unravel the presidency of Donald Trump.

A judge has denied bail for Maria Butina, the NRA-linked Russian woman charged with being a Russian foreign agent in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. Vladimir Putin admitted earlier this week in Helsinki he'd wanted Donald Trump to win, for the benefit of Russia.

Butina pled not not guilty to being a Kremlin foreign agent. Prosecutors revealed more today, including allegations that Butina had transactional sex with more than one U.S. person, who has not yet been named. Live news and some analytical tweets follow, including my own take on what this is and where it's going.

Maria Butina is charged with being an unregistered foreign agent, under FARA regulations.

As the DOJ website puts it,

FARA is a disclosure statute that requires persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities.

She pleads not guilty.


The charges against Maria Butina include allegations of transactional sex between Maria Butina and various American persons, with the end goal (at least on her end, involving her rear end) of advancing Russian interests.

"On at least one occasion, Butina offered an individual other than U.S. Person 1 sex in exchange for a position within a special-interest organization," prosecutors said.


U.S. Person 1 and other individuals, if you went for it, I hope it was the best of all possible sex. It may be the last you have for a while.

I also hope your lawyers are the best of all possible lawyers.

This is a breaking news development seen as greatly significant to the crumbling presidency of Donald J. Trump, who is with each day more obviously compromised in some deeply corrupt way with Russia.

I believe Trump is not the only government official who will be found guilty of this form of treachery to the United States, over money, Russia, and other forms of rank traitorous corruption.

This truth is about to unfold.

Hold on to your butts.

Below, video of Trump answering Butina's question about Russia at a Trump campaign rally. Not weird at all.