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swag

(26,487 posts)
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 09:45 AM Oct 2019

Maria Butina Receives Hero's Welcome in Moscow

Source: Daily Beast

Julia Davis
Updated 10.26.19 9:41AM ET / Published 10.26.19 7:15AM ET

Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty late last year to conspiring to act on behalf of the Russian government as a clandestine foreign agent in the United States, was released Friday into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Eagerly anticipating Butina’s impending liberation, Russian state media outlets expected to live-stream her release, but U.S. authorities had other plans. Having traveled to the Tallahassee Federal Correctional Institution from Atlanta, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida, Russian state TV stringers were stranded for hours filming traffic, building exits and geese on the lawn. Meanwhile, Butina was quietly whisked out of the facility and transferred to the custody of ICE for a speedy deportation back to Russia.

During her flight from Miami to Moscow, the crew of Aeroflot transferred Butina from an economy seat at the back of the plane to business-class. Someone offered a traditional Russian gingerbread cookie (pryanik) to sugarcoat Maria’s bitter-sweet voyage. “Once this plane takes off, it’s all over,” Butina remarked. Aboard the plane, the Russian state media blitz was already underway. RT reporters booked seats on the same flight, documenting Butina’s return to Russia. “I would not make it without my people, citizens of my country," Butina told the Russian state media outlet, Sputnik.

Appearing on 60 Minutes—the most popular news talk show in Russia—the correspondent of Russia’s state-TV channel Rossiya-24 Valentin Bogdanov pointed out that the Western media no longer dares to call Butina a spy. “They’re being careful,” Bogdanov said, speculating that media outlets are afraid of being sued for using the wrong language. In the Kremlin-controlled Russian media, Butina is being described mainly in glowing terms.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/maria-butina-receives-heros-welcome-in-moscow?source=twitter&via=desktop

34 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Maria Butina Receives Hero's Welcome in Moscow (Original Post) swag Oct 2019 OP
GAH, enough of this sh*t. Glad she's outta the US and she should never be allowed back. nt iluvtennis Oct 2019 #1
The next Democratic President needs to BAN IMMIGRANTS from SHITHOLE COUNTRIES... AZ8theist Oct 2019 #33
Did she thank Moscow Mitch, Lindsey Leningram... Kid Berwyn Oct 2019 #2
Why? Igel Oct 2019 #12
+1 onenote Oct 2019 #20
Should have been given the death penalty rockfordfile Oct 2019 #24
That's outrageously harsh n/t Polybius Oct 2019 #28
We don't give foreign spys Sgent Oct 2019 #31
Because the NRA? Kid Berwyn Oct 2019 #34
Well, obviously she didn't give anything up to the Feds or else... Texin Oct 2019 #3
How Pathetic! SkyDaddy7 Oct 2019 #30
... and then she was never heard from again. After that day she disappeared into obscurity. NurseJackie Oct 2019 #4
Or after a decent period of time "accidentally" Golden Raisin Oct 2019 #6
within the year SterlingPound Oct 2019 #8
Agreed... ewagner Oct 2019 #9
Gave her a parade with tanks, Rump eating his heart out. Mc Mike Oct 2019 #5
How is this so called person out of prison? onecaliberal Oct 2019 #7
She was charged. Tried. Sentenced to 18 months. onenote Oct 2019 #21
She'll be dead in a week... B Stieg Oct 2019 #10
Now, it's back to selling furniture Baked Potato Oct 2019 #11
It said in the article she plans to tutor yuiyoshida Oct 2019 #14
It never ends! Baked Potato Oct 2019 #15
Someone has to train the new sparrows. deminks Oct 2019 #17
Why wouldn't she? malthaussen Oct 2019 #13
Too bad she didn't take the NRA with her RudyColludie Oct 2019 #16
It's a shame that she Turbineguy Oct 2019 #18
Way back when 3sam3 Oct 2019 #19
she will be out of contact for a month DENVERPOPS Oct 2019 #22
She'll be treated well in Putin's Russia FakeNoose Oct 2019 #32
Was her connection with the NRA money laundering investigated?? We need to see the Mueller grand Evolve Dammit Oct 2019 #23
Tortured? Linda Ed Oct 2019 #25
I'd guess she is scared and with good reason. JDC Oct 2019 #26
Hope she had time to say goodbye to all her NRA friends. Traitors. Sneederbunk Oct 2019 #27
Yeah Russian TV is giving her a victory lap Takket Oct 2019 #29

Igel

(35,323 posts)
12. Why?
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 11:24 AM
Oct 2019

She was charged. Pled guilty.

Sentenced by a judge.

Served her time, with the usual curtailing of sentence for good behavior.

She was released.

She was, at that point, a foreign national convicted of a crime and on US soil in violation of any visa she might have had. While not a violent felon, she was, nonetheless, subject to detention and deportation.

Here's the judge that presided over Butkina's case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanya_S._Chutkan Originally from Jamaica, appointed by Obama in 2013.

Sgent

(5,857 posts)
31. We don't give foreign spys
Sun Oct 27, 2019, 06:59 AM
Oct 2019

the death penalty or they will do the same to ours.

We do give US citizens the death penalty for espionage -- or elect them to higher office.

Texin

(2,596 posts)
3. Well, obviously she didn't give anything up to the Feds or else...
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 10:02 AM
Oct 2019

But how did Putin know that? Oh, never mind.

SkyDaddy7

(6,045 posts)
30. How Pathetic!
Sun Oct 27, 2019, 06:06 AM
Oct 2019

...First, I have to be honest your comment made me LOL! However, I almost feel bad for laughing because it is highly likely the Orange Menace has told Putin things during their private 1on1 conversations!?!? You know the ones where Trump doesn't allow any Americans in the room with him only a Russian translator.

...Trump is so damn arrogantly ignorant about everything especially geopolitics! Trump's extreme arrogance is why he is so pathetically incompetent in everything he does! So, there is NO TELLING what an ex-KGB Officer like Vladimir Putin has been able to get Trump to tell him in their close door meetings simply by flattering Trump!! Trump practically worships Putin so there is no telling what Trump might tell Putin just to be his BFF!! ...Its freakin scary!

...I still can't believe that POS is POTUS!!!!!

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
4. ... and then she was never heard from again. After that day she disappeared into obscurity.
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 10:10 AM
Oct 2019

Whatever happened to hear American lover?

Mc Mike

(9,114 posts)
5. Gave her a parade with tanks, Rump eating his heart out.
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 10:36 AM
Oct 2019

Last edited Mon Oct 28, 2019, 07:58 AM - Edit history (2)

She's still not spoiled for spycraft, she can always appear before Wohl and Burkman's crowd and tell them anything unlikely ("Am local AmWay rep, da?" ), and be believed. She'll never blow her cover, with them, coz they're too dumb.

onenote

(42,715 posts)
21. She was charged. Tried. Sentenced to 18 months.
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 04:12 PM
Oct 2019

Served fifteen and under the sentencing guidelines had 3 months knocked off for good behavior.

The judge who decided her sentence was a respected Obama appointee. But I don't suppose that will stop some DUers from throwing the judge under the bus.

yuiyoshida

(41,833 posts)
14. It said in the article she plans to tutor
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 12:00 PM
Oct 2019

Russian students so they too can travel to the USA...wow... Russian spies, the Next Generation!

 

RudyColludie

(43 posts)
16. Too bad she didn't take the NRA with her
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 12:19 PM
Oct 2019

unregistered foreign agent my ass

she was a spy and saboteur and the NRA was her entrepot into our elections

 

3sam3

(19 posts)
19. Way back when
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 03:44 PM
Oct 2019

all this broke in the news Malcolm Nance said she'd be met with a hero's welcome. Puttie's not going to disappear her. She did everything she was sent to do. All those photos of her with Scot Walker, and all the rest. She's the one who organized the republican congress/NRA trip to Moscow, was it over the 4th. of July? All those congressmen (traitors) sucked into Putties loving arms. She's got all that great honeypot experience to pass on to a new generation of Russian spies. I'd kind of admire her if the quality of the scumbags she seduced wasn't so very, very low.

DENVERPOPS

(8,838 posts)
22. she will be out of contact for a month
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 06:47 PM
Oct 2019

Debriefing will take a while, then given the Republicans and NRA executives she was "close" to, she has a month of quarantine: de-lousing, anti-biotics, anti-virals, etc...........

FakeNoose

(32,659 posts)
32. She'll be treated well in Putin's Russia
Sun Oct 27, 2019, 09:47 AM
Oct 2019

... but she'll have to give up her guns though.
No firearms allowed in the hands of Russian citizens, Pootie's rule.

Evolve Dammit

(16,747 posts)
23. Was her connection with the NRA money laundering investigated?? We need to see the Mueller grand
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 07:36 PM
Oct 2019

jury testimony. Hopefully this was explored. The whole NRA/ Russia money laundering has been largely silent. Please correct me if you know otherwise.

Linda Ed

(493 posts)
25. Tortured?
Sat Oct 26, 2019, 10:48 PM
Oct 2019

Yeah...she really looks like she was tortured doesn't she? And this president crawls up the hiney of Putin,,,makes me sick!!

Takket

(21,582 posts)
29. Yeah Russian TV is giving her a victory lap
Sun Oct 27, 2019, 12:44 AM
Oct 2019

But I’m sure deep inside she is no idiot and she knows what failure and capture mean to a spy in Russia. They’ll exploit her for some propaganda for a few days and once a month or two goes by, like someone else said, she will “accidentally fall out a window”.

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