Butina Won’t Incriminate Anyone, Kremlin Cites Father as Saying
(Bloomberg) -- Hours after Russia denied any knowledge of Maria Butina, the gun-rights activist the U.S. has accused of being an undeclared Kremlin agent, it circulated a second message that said she wouldn’t “incriminate herself or anybody else.”
A Kremlin aide on Tuesday posted a screenshot of a text message he said was from Valery Butin, Maria’s father, on Facebook. Butina said Monday she would change her plea from not guilty.
“I think that the mere fact of the plea deal is not something unusual. The main thing is the deal’s substance,” the message read. “And the substance is that Maria is not willing to incriminate herself or anybody else. She is not planning to admit to crimes she didn’t commit.”
The message was written in Russian and translated by Bloomberg News. It was posted by Ivan Makushok, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s adviser Sergei Glazyev. Butin couldn’t be reached for comment.
Butina, who was arrested in July on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent, is expected to plead guilty later this week. The 30-year-old, who originally entered the U.S. on a student visa, is accused of trying to establish back channels to conservative American politicians during the 2016 presidential election. She attended notable GOP events, including a National Rifle Association conference and the National Prayer Breakfast.
The Facebook message refers to Butina as being in solitary confinement and to the funding of her legal defense as in a “critical” state.
A supporter of Butina in Russia, Alexander Ionov, said that he saw the plea deal and that she had “no choice” but to agree to it. Ionov, deputy head of a Russian human rights group, said he expects Butina to return to Russia next year.
A court order entered last week said Butina is being represented by A.J. Kramer, a public defender it identified as an “advisory counsel.” Robert Driscoll, a private attorney representing Butina, said he wasn’t withdrawing as her counsel despite the public defender’s assignment.
Kramer and Driscoll declined to comment on the Facebook message.
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