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>>> WELCOME BACK. IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING RIPPED
FROM A SPY MOVIE OR A REBOOT OF
"THE AMERICANS."
"THE AMERICANS." A YOUNG RUSSIAN WOMAN ACCUSED OF
CONSPIRING TO INFLUENCE AMERICAN
POLITICS ON BEHALF OF RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE OF THE 29-YEAR-OLD
MARIA BUTINA WAS ARRESTED LAST
WEEKEND IN WASHINGTON WHERE SHE
HAD RECENTLY GRADUATE WED A
MASTER’S DEGREE IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS FROM AMERICAN
UNIVERSITY.
UNIVERSITY. ON PAPER SHE WAS A STUDENT AND A
GUN RIGHTS ADVOCATE KNOWN AROUND
CAMPUS FOR HAVING PRIDE IN HER
HOMELAND AND DEFENDING RUSSIAN
INTERESTS IN CLASS DISCUSSIONS.
AT THE SAME TIME, INVESTIGATORS
CLAIM SHE WAS A COVERT AGENT
FUNDED BY ALEXANDER TORSHIN, A
RUSSIAN OLIGARCH, WITH CLOSE
TIES TO THE KREMLIN.
AT HIS URGING, INVESTIGATORS
SAY, SHE WORKED TO GAIN ACCESS
TO AMERICAN POLITICAL
OPERATIVES, CONSERVATIVE
OPERATIVES, CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS AND POLITICAL
GROUPS, INCLUDING THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN AND MORE IMPORTANTLY IN
THIS STORY THE NRA.
JOINING ME NOW IS SOMEONE WHO
HAS DONE A LOT OF REPORTING ON
BUTINA AND RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
EFFORTS IN THIS AREA, MICHAEL
ISIKOFF, CO-AUTHOR OF "RUSSIAN
ROULETTE."
ROULETTE." OF COURSE A FORMER COLLEAGUE
HERE AT NBC NEWS.
WELCOME BACK TO "MEET THE
PRESS."
PRESS." ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. YOU ARE FACEBOOK FRIENDS WITH
MARIA BUTINA.
MARIA BUTINA. >> THAT’S TRUE.
>> I KNOW YOU DID IT FOR YOUR
REPORTING.
REPORTING. >> YES.
>> YES. >> SO HOW DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER
HER?
HER? >> I STARTED HEARING ABOUT HER
DURING THE 2016 ELECTION AS
SOMEBODY WHO KEPT SHOWING UP AT
CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL EVENTS,
CPAC CONFERENCES, NATIONAL
PRAYER BREAKFASTS, NRA MEETINGS,
CONVENTIONS.
CONVENTIONS. SHE MET WITH NRA LEADERS WHEN
THEY WENT TO MOSCOW AND HOSTED
THEM.
THEM. AND IT STRUCK A LOT OF PEOPLE AS
ODD.
ODD. WHAT IS THIS WOMAN DOING HERE?
SHE WAS EXTREMELY FLIRTATIOUS.
SHE TRIED TO MAINTAIN CONTACT
WITH A LOT OF INFLUENTIAL
REPUBLICAN LOBBYISTS, ACTIVISTS.
SHE HAD THIS VERY CLOSE
RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS GUY, PAUL
ERICKSON, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST
IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
BUT WHAT REALLY GOT MY ATTENTION
WAS THE ALEXANDER TORSHIN
CONNECTION.
CONNECTION. ALEXANDER TORSHIN, WHO YOU
MENTIONED, WAS A DEPUTY GOVERNOR
OF THE RUSSIAN CENTRAL BANK.
HE WAS A CLOSE ALLY OF PUTIN.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE WAS UNDER
INVESTIGATION BY THE SPANISH
NATIONAL POLICE FOR MONEY
LAUNDERING.
LAUNDERING. IN FACT HE HAD THESE TIES TO
THIS ORGANIZED CRIME MONEY
LAUNDERING GANG IN SPAIN.
THE SPANISH NATIONAL POLICE HAD
HIM ON WIRETAPS --
>> HE WAS GOING TO BE ARRESTED.
>> THEY WERE GOING TO ARREST
HIM.
HIM. HE WAS REFERRED TO BY THE
ORGANIZED GANG LEADER AS EL
PADRINO, THE GODFATHER.
THEY WERE ALL SET TO ARREST HIM
WHEN HE WAS GOING TO FLY IN FOR
A PIRT DAY PARTY.
HE GOT TIPPED OFF AND DIDN’T GO.
ALL THIS TIME HE’S FLYING IN AND
OUT OF THE UNITED STATES WITH
BUTINA MEETING WITH NRA LEADERS
AND REPUBLICAN ACTIVISTS.
>> SO IN THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
AGAINST HER WHEN THEY DECIDED
BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT SHE WAS
GOING TO FLEE, I WANT TO READ
THIS E-MAIL.
THIS E-MAIL. IT’S A BIT -- SOME ROUGH ENGLISH
BUT IT’S IN HER WORDS.
IT’S AN E-MAIL THEY PUT IN THERE
THAT ESSENTIALLY EXPLAINS I
GUESS WHAT HER PLAN WAS.
IT SAYS HERE THAT SHE HAS
DISCOVERED THE CENTRAL PLACE AND
INFLUENCE, AND THEY REFER TO IN
THE POLITICAL PARTY ONE MEANING
THE REPUBLICANS, PLAYS THE GUN
RIGHTS ORGANIZATION HERE IS NRA.
THE NRA IS THE LARGEST SPONSOR
OF THE ELECTIONS IN CONGRESS AS
WELL AS SPONSOR OF THE CPAC
CONFERENCE AND OTHER EVENTS.
AGAIN, A LITTLE BROKEN ENGLISH
FROM HER BUT THIS WAS ALL PART
OF THIS PLAN.
IT WAS AN E-MAIL SHE SENT TO
PAUL ERIRKSONCKSON.
PAUL ERIRKSONCKSON. THIS WAS AN INFILTRATION PLAN.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. THAT WAS VERY SAVVY INSIGHT.
THE WAY -- THE GOAL HERE WAS TO
CHANGE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’S
ATTITUDE TOWARDS RUSSIA.
TRADITIONALLY HOSTILE --
>> BUT IT WAS SORT OF THE JOHN
McCAIN VIEW OF RUSSIA IS WHAT
THEY ASSUMED ALL REPUBLICANS
WERE.
WERE. >> AND THE WAY TO DO IT WAS
THROUGH THE NRA.
WHO HAS MORE INFLUENCE WITH
REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
ESPECIALLY THAN THE NRA.
THEY SPEND MORE MONEY, THEY’RE
THE MOST POWERFUL SPECIAL
INTEREST GROUP.
INTEREST GROUP. SO THE IDEA WAS BUTINA SETS UP
THIS RUSSIAN GUN RIGHTS
ORGANIZATION TO FORGE THIS
ALLIANCE WITH NRA MEMBERS AS A
WAY OF INFLUENCING THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY.
REPUBLICAN PARTY. >> LET’S GO BACK TO PAUL
ERICKSON.
ERICKSON. >> YES.
>> YES. >> SHE’S BEEN NOW ROMANTICALLY
LINKED WITH HIM.
I GUESS THEY LIVED TOGETHER IN
SOUTH DAKOTA PERHAPS OR SHARED
SOME SORT OF --
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. APPARENTLY NOT TOTALLY WILLINGLY
ON HER PART BUT SHE FELT THIS
WAS PART OF HER OBLIGATION AND
DUTY.
DUTY. >> SHE WROTE THIS E-MAIL TO HIM
AT THE TIME TO SORT OF LIKE ASK
HIM AM I WORDING THIS CORRECTLY?
IT WAS SORT OF TO GET HIS -- IS
HE WITTING OR UNWITTING HERE?
>> WE DON’T KNOW.
THERE’S GOOD REASON TO BELIEVE
HE’S UNDER INVESTIGATION HIMSELF
BY FEDERAL PROSECUTORS, AND I
THINK ONE GOAL IS TO GET HER TO
FLIP ON HIM ABOUT WHAT HE MIGHT
KNOW.
KNOW. BUT I DO THINK TORSHIN IS THE
KEY.
KEY. I THINK HE’S THE ULTIMATE TARGET
HERE.
HERE. HE’S BEEN SANCTIONED BY THE U.S.
ONE OTHER THING WE SHOULD
MENTION, REMEMBER, BUTINA, FOR
ALL THE WORK SHE’S DOING, DID
ONE BIG SERVICE FOR THE KREMLIN.
JULY 2015 JUST A FEW WEEKS AFTER
TRUMP ANNOUNCES HIS CANDIDACY,
HE GOES TO FREEDOMFEST, THIS
LIBERTARIAN EVENT IN LAS VEGAS,
AND TAKES A QUESTION FROM THE
FLOOR FROM BUTINA.
WHAT WOULD BE HIS POSITION ON
SANCTIONS THAT ARE DAMAGING BOTH
COUNTRIES, AND TRUMP GIVES THIS
FULL-FLEDGED FIVE-MINUTE ANSWER
IN WHICH HE SAYS IF I’M ELECTED,
YOU WON’T NEED SANCTIONS.
I KNOW PUTIN, I CAN GET ALONG
WITH PUTIN.
WITH PUTIN. NOT A TOP ISSUE IN THE
REPUBLICAN POLITICAL DEBATE AT
THE TIME BUT VERY IMPORTANT FOR
THE KREMLIN.
THE KREMLIN. THEY HAD HIM ON THE RECORD
SAYING HE WOULD ROLL BACK
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. >> YOU’VE BEEN DOING
INVESTIGATIONS A LONG TIME, A
COUPLE OF DECADES NOW.
LET’S RAISE UP TO 30,000 FEET.
WE’LL FOCUS SOMETIMES ON THE
RUSSIA/TRUMP ANGLE OR THE NRA.
THIS LARGER INVESTIGATION IS
GOING TO BE KNOWN AS WHAT?
IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE A RUSSIAN
INFILTRATION CAMPAIGN ON ALL
LEVELS OF THE CONSERVATIVE
MOVEMENT ON THIS COUNTRY.
IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED?
>> THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SEEMS TO
BE HAPPENING.
BE HAPPENING. THIS WAS EVERY MUCH AS PART OF
THE RUSSIAN INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN
AS THE CYBER ATTACKS, THE PHONY
FACEBOOK ADS, THE TWITTER BOTS,
ALL OF THAT.
I’VE GOT TO SAY JUST ONE
THING --
THING -- >> I KNOW YOU HAVE A HOBBY
HORSE.
HORSE. I’LL LET YOU GO.
>> DERELICTION OF DUTY ON
CONGRESS’ PART.
CONGRESS’ PART. WHY EVERY MAJOR POLITICAL
SCANDAL IN THE LAST HALF
CENTURY, WATERGATE, IRAN CONTRA,
YOU NAME IT.
PUBLIC HEARINGS BY THE CONGRESS,
KEY WITNESSES TESTIFY UNDER OATH
BEFORE THE TV CAMERAS.
NONE OF THAT HAS HAPPENED HERE.
ALL BEHIND CLOSED DOORS,
INCLUDING BUTINA BY THE WAY.
WE SHOULD BE SEEING THESE
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. THEY SHOULD BE HAULED UP.
GRASSLEY AND FEINSTEIN COULD
CALL MICHAEL COHEN UP TOMORROW,
SUBPOENA HIM, HAVE HIM TESTIFY
IN PUBLIC.
IN PUBLIC. >> DON’T LET LAWYERS SPIN.
LET’S SEE IT FOR OURSELVES.
IT’S A GOOD POINT TO END ON.