Book Thrown At Russian Spy

The sentence has come down. According to this Wall Street Journal account, Siberian espionage vixen Maria Butina has copped a plea in the US government's case initially describing her as an intelligence prostitute and admitted that she attempted, without government permission or license, to influence some people in the land of the free and the home of the brave. She was given a sentence of 18 months which includes time served in solitary confinement since July of last year so she might make it home in time for Christmas this year if her deportation goes smoothly.

Miss Butina wasn't actually accused of ferreting out any classified information, like plans for nuclear weapons or the code to the celebrated "football", but was instead identified as part of Russian state plan to influence key figures in US government and industry. It was pointed out that she was acquainted with Russian central bank figure Alexander Torshin and she admitted to US interrogators that she did indeed know this man. It's no stretch of the imagination that US Federal Reserve officers like Chairman Jerome Powell and Vice Chairman Richard Clarinda would be putty in the hands of a lady with an accent.

 There's no doubt that Yankees are very susceptible to the influence of foreigners and that they should be gratified that the various federal agencies designed to protect them from eastern hemispheric hordes are operating so efficiently. While the exploits of Miss Butina don't seem  to be in  the same class as the Rosenbergs or the loathsome Jonathon Pollard, the US activity in her case does afford an opportunity for myriad federal employees assigned to counter-espionage to perfect their craft.

Cynics might have the opinion that the investigation and prosecution of Miss Butina were simply exercises designed to garner favorable publicity for the agencies involved. Since their other probes into Russian and Chinese influence have achieved mixed results, the obvious success in reining in the Russian firearms enthusiast is certain to cast them in the glow needed to offset their dubious role in the 2016 US election controversy.

There's yet another way of looking at the situation. Since Miss Butina made no effort to hide her nationality and openly discussed gun rights in both countries, it was a small matter to the federal authorities. It was easy for them to corral her and, more important, since she had no connection to Russian intelligence, her arrest didn't jeopardize any ongoing justice department investigations or compromise any American agents or their sources. Miss Butina was an innocent gift. There have been further developments in the story. And this viewpoint.