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>>> TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME A ♪ ♪
>>> TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME A RUSSIAN AGENT PLEADED GUILTY IN
FEDERAL COURT TO ILLEGALLY
TRYING TO INTERFERE IN U.S.
POLITICS AHEAD OF THE 2016
ELECTION.
ELECTION. MARIA BUTINA AGREED TO COOPERATE
WITH INVESTIGATORS AND ADMITTED
THAT AS EARLY AS 2015 SHE
ILLEGALLY CONSPIRED TO ESTABLISH
UNOFFICIAL LINES OF
COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERS OF
THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,
ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS.
QUOTE, BUTINA SOUGHT TO USE
THOSE UNOFFICIAL LINES OF KMUK
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION.
FEDERATION. SHE TOOK DIRECTION FROM
ALEXANDER TORSION, THIS MAN, THE
FORMER DEPUTY HEAD OF RUSSIA’S
CENTRAL BANK WHO’S CLOSE TO
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
VLADIMIR PUTIN. BUTINA’S ACTIVITIES INCLUDING
BRINGING TOP NRA MEMBERS TO
MOSKOW IN 2015 TO MEET HIGH
LEVEL RUSSIAN OFFICIALS, COURT
DOCUMENTS SAY, AFTER THAT
MEETING SHE MESSAGED TORSHIN,
QUOTE, WE SHOULD LET THEM
EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE NOW AND
WE’LL PUT PRESSURE ON THEM
LATER.
LATER. AND TODAY’S GUILTY PLEA AND
RAISING NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
EXCHANGE SHE HAD WITH DONALD
TRUMP DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
WATCH THIS.
WATCH THIS. >> I’M VISITING FROM RUSSIA SO
MY QUESTION --
>> GOOD FRIEND OF OBAMA.
>> IF YOU’RE ELECTED PRESIDENT
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FOREIGN
POLICIES IN RELATION WITH MY
COUNTRY AND DO YOU WANT TO
CONTINUE SANCTIONS THAT DAMAGE
BOTH ECONOMIES OR DO YOU BE ANY
OTHER IDEAS?
OTHER IDEAS? >> I BELIEVE I WOULD GET ALONG
VERY NICELY WITH PUTIN, OKAY?
AND I MEAN WHERE WE HAVE THE
STRENGTH.
STRENGTH. I DON’T THINK YOU NEED THE
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. >> JOINING US NOW, MALCOLM
NANCE, AN MSNBC COUNTER
TERRORISM ANALYST.
TERRORISM ANALYST. MALCOLM, JUST PUT THIS INTO
PERSPECTIVE.
PERSPECTIVE. SHE’S BEEN IN THE BACKGROUND,
SHE’S NOW PLEADED GUILTY.
AND I’VE HEARD YOU DESCRIBE THIS
BEFORE SO I WANT YOU TO DO IT
AGAIN.
AGAIN. WHAT IS THE ROLE THAT WE NEED TO
SEE MARIA BUTINA HAVING PLAYED
IN THE RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN
THE ELECTION?
THE ELECTION? >> YOU KNOW, THERE’S A BIG
DEBATE GOING ON RIGHT NOW IN THE
MEDIA ABOUT WAS SHE ACTUALLY A
SPY OR WAS SHE AN INDEPENDENT
PERSON WHO JUST THOUGHT THIS
THING UP AND WROTE A PAPER AND
JUST CAME OUT AND EXERCISED ALL
THIS INFLUENCE TO THE BENEFIT OF
RUSSIA?
RUSSIA? SHE’S ONE OR THE OTHER.
BUT ALL THE INDICATORS ARE SHE’S
AT A MINIMUM AN INTELLIGENCE
SUBCONTRACTOR WHO WAS TASKED OUT
WITH ALEXANDER TORSHIN.
BUT FOR HER IT BEGINS IN 2011
WHEN SHE WAS A MEMBER OF THE
YOUTH GUARD OF THE UNITED
RUSSIA, A POLITICAL BODY THAT
FALLS UNDER VLADIMIR PUTIN.
AND A MENTOR WAS ANA CHAPMAN, A
RUSSIAN SPY WHO WAS CAUGHT IN
THE UNITED STATES IN 2010,
DEPORTED AND BECAME ONE OF
PUTIN’S FAVORITES.
PUTIN’S FAVORITES. SHE BETWEEN 2011 AND 2015,
BUTINA, WAS MISSING IN ACTION
BECAUSE SHE WAS DEVELOPING THE
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS ORGANIZATION
WITH ALEXANDER TORSHIN.
>> WHICH IS WEIRD, BY THE WAY,
IN RUSSIA BECAUSE THERE’S NO
CIVILIAN RIGHTS TO BEAR ARMS IN
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. >> WE HAVE 240 MILLION FIREARM
AND THEY HAVE 6 MILLION AND
THEY’RE ALL HUNTING SHOTGUNS.
SO THIS ORGANIZATION WAS CRAFTED
FOR THREE YEARS TO LAUNCH
OPERATIONS IN 2015.
THAT MEANS THERE WAS A LOT OF
PREP, AND THEY KNEW PRECISELY
WHAT THIS HER AND ALEXANDER
TORSHIN WERE DOING WHICH WAS TO
BE ONE SPOKE GOING AFTER A HUB
IN A WHEEL OF INTELLIGENCE
OPERATIONS TO GET DONALD TRUMP.
AND IF YOU REMEMBER ONE QUICK
POINT, DONALD TRUMP ACTUALLY
STARTED HIS COMMUNICATIONS WITH
RUSSIA IN 2012 AND 2013.
SO THIS IS OLD SCHOOL IN-DEPTH
INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS.
INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS. >> JOYCE VANCE IS A VERY
INTERESTING PART OF MARIA
BUTINA’S PLEA AGREEMENT WHICH
READS, YOUR CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT YOUR CLIENT’S COOPERATION
MAY INCLUDE BUT WILL NOT
NECESSARILY BE LIMITED TO
PARTICIPATING IN COVERT LAW
ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES. CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO A
PROSECUTOR?
PROSECUTOR? >> IT’S HARD TO KNOW IF WE
SHOULD READ TOO MUCH INTO IT.
THIS IS STANDARD AGREEMENT IN A
PLEA AGREEMENT WHERE YOU REQUIRE
A COOPERATOR TO DO ANYTHING THAT
LAW ENFORCEMENT MIGHT NEED THEM
TO DO.
TO DO. TYPICALLY YOUR ABILITY TO DO
MUCH THAT’S COVERT IS VERY
LIMITED ONCE PEOPLE ARE AWARE
THAT YOU’VE PLED GUILTY.
BEFORE YOU’VE PLED GUILTY IT’S
POSSIBLE TO MAKE PHONE CALLS OR
WEAR A WIRE.
THAT’S MUCH MORE DIFFICULT AFTER
FOLKS ARE AWARE YOU’RE
COOPERATING AND IN HER CASE
YOU’RE IN CUSTODY.
BUT IT STILL LEAVES OPEN THE
POSSIBILITY THAT SHE MIGHT HAVE
LEADING UP TO THIS PLEA ENGAGED
IN CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE OR
OTHER ACTIVITY THAT WE’LL LEARN
ABOUT AS FUTURE CASES BUILT ON
HER COOPERATION PROGRESS.
>> MALCOLM, I JUST WANT TO DIG A
LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THIS GUN
THING.
THING. THE FBI IS INVESTIGATING WHETHER
ALEXANDER TORSHIN ILLEGALLY
FUNNELED MONEY TO THE NATIONAL
RIFLE ASSOCIATION TO HELP DONALD
TRUMP WIN THE PRESIDENCY TWO
SOURCES SAID.
SOURCES SAID. WE KNOW SHE SAYWAS INVOLVED IN
FLORIDA CONTACT WITH THE
RUSSIANS AND SOME RIGHT TO BEAR
ARMS ORGANIZATION AND THE
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
FUNDED DONALD TRUMP AT A WAY
THEY’VE NEVER FUNDED A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BEFORE.
ARE YOU ABLE TO MAKE SENSE OF
ALL THESE DESPERATE PARTS?
>> YES.
>> YES. WELL, FIRST OFF TORSHIN WAS HER
BOSS AND SHE AND HIM OR SHE AND
HE IN 2011 CREATED THIS
ORGANIZATION OUT OF THIN AIR.
SHE WAS A FURNITURE SALESMAN IN
SIBERIA AT AGE 19 AND THEN BY
THE TIME SHE SHOWS UP AT AGE 21
SHE’S WITH TORSHIN FOR THREE
YEARS, MEETING AMERICANS
CRAFTING THIS GUN ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN FAST FORWARD UP TO 2015
THEY’RE SPONSORING CONFERENCES
IN RUSSIA, BRINGING AMERICANS
OVER INCLUDING SHERIFF CLARK AND
THE HEAD OF THE NRA AND TALKING
ABOUT GUN RIGHTS IN A COUNTRY
THAT HAS ZERO GUN RIGHTS.
AND THEN THEY GO BACK TO UNITED
STATES AND THEY START SPREADING
THEIR INFLUENCE BY MEETING
PEOPLE, BY SHOWING HER IN SEXILY
CLAD PHOTOGRAPHS WITH WEAPONS
AND THAT CAPTURES THE
IMAGINATION OF PEOPLE.
SHE RAPIDLY MOVES UP THE CHAIN
OF COMMAND AND STARTS MEETING
WITH VERY POPULAR PEOPLE AND
THEN MANIPULATED HER BOYFRIEND
OF PAUL ERIKSON TO A POINT WHERE
THEY ASSERT THAT HE IS PROBABLY
GOING TO BE INDICTED FOR SOME
FORM OF ESPIONAGE UNDER HER.
SO SOMEBODY THERE IS SPY THAT
CONTACTED HIM, WHETHER IT’S HER
OR HER BOSS.
BUT THOSE PEOPLE EXERCISED A
POLITICAL WARFARE OPERATION
DESIGNED TO GET THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION THROUGH THE NRA TO
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. WHETHER THEY FUNNELED CASH TO
DONALD TRUMP THROUGH THEIR
INFLUENCE WE DON’T KNOW YET.
>> ALL RIGHT, THANKS TO BOTH OF
YOU FOR HELPING US CLEAR UP.
THIS IS REMARKABLE STORY, SO
REMARKABLE THAT IN THE NEWS
CYCLE IT’S KIND OF A SIDE STORY