HOW MUCH LEGAL TROUBLE ARE THEY FACING AND HER -- PERHAPS THE
CONNECTION WITH HER ON AGAIN/OFF
AGAIN BOYFRIEND.
AGAIN BOYFRIEND. WITH ME NOW IS MICHAEL ISIKOFF,
THE CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE
CORRESPONDENT FOR YAHOO NEWS WHO
WROTE ABOUT MARIA BUTINA AND
DANNY CEVALLOS, MSNBC LEGAL
ANALYST WHO IS -- THERE WAS A
TIME THIS WAS THE BIGGEST STORY
OF THE DAY.
THAT WAS SOME SIX HOURS AND 25
NEWS CYCLES AGO.
BUT MICHAEL WHY DID SHE PLEAD
GUILTY?
GUILTY? IS THIS A RUSSIAN SPY?
IS THIS A BAD LOBBYIST?
WHAT IS SHE?
>> LOOK, SHE DIDN’T PLEAD GUILTY
TO ESPIONAGE AND THEY DIDN’T
CHARGE HER WITH THAT BUT THEY’VE
HAD
HAD HAD HER IN CUSTODY FOR SOME
MONTHS NOW.
MONTHS NOW. IT WAS CLEAR THE ONLY WAY SHE
WAS GOING TO GET OUT ANY TIME
SOON OR HAVE A PROSPECT OF
GETTING OUT IS PLEADING AND
COOPERATING WITH THE FEDS.
SHE WAS -- SHE AND HER HANDLER,
ALEXANDER TORSHIN, THIS FORMER
DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF THE RUSSIAN
CENTRAL BANK, WERE AS MUCH A
PART OF THE RUSSIAN INFLUENCE
OPERATION IN THE 2016 ELECTION
AS THE GRU GUYS WHO HACKED THE
DNC AND --
>> TORSHIN IS CONNECTED TO A
COUPLE OF THE OTHER STRINGS ON
THIS BESIDES MARIA BUTINA,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >> WELL, LOOK, HE WAS
INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN THE DUMA
IN PUTIN’S PARTY.
HE’S BEEN UNDER -- HE WAS UNDER
INVESTIGATION FOR YEARS FOR
MONEY LAUNDERING BUT SPANISH
NATIONAL POLICE ALMOST ARRESTED
HIM UNTIL HE GOT TIPPED OFF AND
DIDN’T ATTEND THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
OF A GANG LEADER THERE SO THERE
WERE A LOT OF REASONS FOR THE
FEDS TO BE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT HIM
FROM THE GET GO, BUT WHAT
HAPPENED HERE IS STARTING IN
2015 THEY LAUNCHED THIS THING
CALLED THE DIPLOMACY PROJECT TO
INFLUENCE AMERICAN POLITICS,
PRIMARIEDLY REPUBLICAN PARTY, BY
USING THE NATIONAL RIFLE
ASSOCIATION AS LEVERAGE, WHAT
BETTER WAY TO INFLUENCE
REPUBLICAN POLITICS ALL FOR THE
PURPOSE OF CHANGING POLICY
TOWARDS RUSSIA.
TOWARDS RUSSIA. AND IN DECEMBER, 2015, BUTINA
WHO HAS BEEN CURRYING FAVOR WITH
NRA LEADERS ATTENDING THEIR
CONVENTIONS SS INVITES A WHOLE
ARRAY OF NRA LEADERS TO MOSCOW.
AND AFTERWARDS SHE SENDS A
MESSAGE TO TORSHIN, HER HANDLER,
WHICH WAS TRANSLATED TWO WAYS.
HER PROSECUTORS READ BOTH WAYS.
WE SHOULD LET THEM EXPRESS THEIR
GRATITUDE.
GRATITUDE. WE WILL PUT PRESSURE ON THEM
LATER.
LATER. THE OTHER, WE SHOULD ALLOW THEM
TO EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE NOW
AND QUIETLY PRESS.
>> DANNY CEVALLOS, AFTER READING
THIS, SHOULD THE NRA FEEL AS IF
THEY’VE DODGED A BULLET HERE
BECAUSE MARIA BUTINA IS NOT
FINGERING THEM FOR MONEY
LAUNDERING.
LAUNDERING. PAUL ERICKSON, THE BOYFRIEND WHO
IS THE -- MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE --
WHO IS ALLEGED TO POSSIBLY BE
THE GO-BETWEEN OR ARE THEY NOT
OUT OF THE WOODS?
>> THEY ARE NOT OUT OF THE
WOODS.
WOODS. FEDERAL ELECTION LAW PROHIBITS
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FOREIGN
NATIONALS AND THAT INCLUDES IN
ITS DEFINITION A FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT AND THAT ALSO
INCLUDES A PROHIBITION AGAINST A
FOREIGN NATIONAL, GIVING NOUN A
DOMESTIC CORPORATION OR
ORGANIZATION AND THEN HAVING
THAT ORGANIZATION GIVE MONEY TO
A CANDIDATE OR CAMPAIGN.
NOW, ORDINARILY CIVIL
ENFORCEMENT OF THE FEDERAL
ELECTION LAW IS EXCLUSIVELY HELD
BY THE FEDERAL ELECTION
COMMISSION.
COMMISSION. FEC.
FEC. THEY HAVE THE EXCLUSIVE
JURISDICTION FOR CIVIL MATTERS
AND THOSE ARE VIOLATIONS THAT
ARE NEGLIGENT OR EVEN RECKLESS.
THE DOJ’S OWN MANUAL SAYS THAT
IT CAN AND WILL PROSECUTE
WILLFUL VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW.
SO THE NRA SHOULD BE CONCERNED
ABOUT MARIA BUTINA’S PLEA TODAY
BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT
THE NRA WAS INVOLVED WITH MONEY
FROM A FOREIGN NATIONAL THAT MAY
HAVE EVENTUALLY ENDED UP IN ONE
OF OUR AMERICAN CAMPAIGNS.
>> PAUL ERICKSON.
FIRST OF ALL, THEY MAY STILL BE
TOGETHER
TOGETHER TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. HIS ATTORNEY PUT OUT A STATEMENT
THAT SAID PAUL ERICKSON IS A GAD
GOOD AMERICAN.
GOOD AMERICAN. HE’S NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO HARM
OUR COUNTRY AND NEVER WOULD.
>> HE’S REFERRED TO IN THE
STATEMENT OF OFFENSE THAT WAS
READ IN COURT TODAY AS U.S.
PERSON NUMBER ONE.
HE WAS CLEARLY ASSISTING BIRD
FLU TINA ON THIS PROJECT THAT
THE GOVERNMENT SAYS WAS A --
>> ASSISTING OR BEING DUPED?
DO WE NOT KNOW YET?
>> WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO HEAR
BUTINA’S FULL ACCOUNT.
SHE’S COOPERATING WITH THE FEDS
TO MAKE A FINAL JUDGMENT SO HE’S
NOT OUT OF THE WOODS.
THERE’S BEEN REPORTS HE’S GOTTEN
A TARGET LETTER HIMSELF.
BUT I HAVE TO SAY ON THE NRA
THING, THAT WHAT S WHAT GOT US
SO WORKED UP.
YOU SAW THE $30 MILLION THAT THE
NRA POURED INTO THE 2016
ELECTION.
ELECTION. >> MORE THAN THEY’D EVER DONE
BEFORE.
BEFORE. >> YOU HAVE THIS GUY TORSHIN AND
BUTINA WHO ARE SHOWING UP AT NRA
MEETINGS.
MEETINGS. >> LIFETIME MEMBERS.
>> DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS, OR
THE SHIN’S BACKGROUND IS
SUSPECTED MONEY LAUNDERER,
RAISED ALL SORTS OF QUESTIONS
BUT -- AND THIS IS A BREAK ON
WHAT DANNY SAID IS I DON’T THINK
IF THE FEDS HAD THE MONEY
LAUNDERING TO THE NRA THEY WOULD
HAVE LET BUTINA PLEAD TO THIS
ONE COUNT OF NOT REGISTERING AT
A FOREIGN AGENT.
YOU WANT YOUR CHIEF COOPERATING
WITNESS TO PLEAD TO THAT CASE
AND THEN TESTIFY IN COURT AND
THERE’S NOTHING IN HERE ABOUT
LAUNDERING MONEY TO THE NRA.
>> DANNY, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THAT?
THAT? >> IT’S A VERY SOLID POINT.
THE MONEY LAUNDERING IS ONE OF
THE CONCERNS THE NRA HAS.
IT SHOULD BE ADDITIONALLY
CONCERNED ABOUT ANY INVOLVEMENT
IT HAD WITH ANY FOREIGN NATIONAL
AND ON THE OTHER END, ANY
CAMPAIGN INVOLVEMENT.
CAMPAIGN INVOLVEMENT. THAT’S NOT AS SERIOUS A CHARGE
AS MONEY LAUNDERING OR ESPIONAGE
BUT IT ILLUSTRATES THE POINT THE
NRA MAY BE IMPLICATED IN A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WRONGFUL
CIVIL AND POSSIBLY CRIMINAL
ACTS.
ACTS. EVEN IF IT’S A CIVIL VIOLATION
THEY MAY END UP IN A
CONCILIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE
FEC BUT THERE MIGHT BE SOME
VIOLATION THERE.
VIOLATION THERE. >> LOOK, THEY CLEARLY DON’T LOOK
GOOD HERE.
GOOD HERE. THEY CLEARLY WERE BEING USED BY
THESE RUSSIAN AGENTS AS PART OF
AN ATTEMPT TO MANIPULATE
AMERICAN POLITICS SO THEY OUGHT
TO ANSWER QUESTION.
>> IF BODY LANGUAGE MATTERS
HERE, THE NRA’S BODY LANGUAGE IS
ONE OF RETREAT, WE DON’T KNOW
BECAUSE OF THIS -- BUT THAT HAD
A LOT OF PEOPLE SCRATCHING THEIR
HEADS GOING --
>> GET THEIR NEW PRESIDENT OLLIE
NORTH ON THE SHOW.
>> WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MR.
NORTH ON FOR THAT.
A GOOD BOOKING IDEA, MR.