Maria Butina was a victim of a reckless, overzealous political prosecution that resulted in her getting locked up in solitary confinement, smeared in the media, and deported. The government stretched the relevant statute beyond recognition to railroad her spectator.us/maria-butina-c…
She never would have been prosecuted so aggressively but for the deranged anti-Russia political climate that consumed law enforcement and the media. It's one of the most despicable episodes in recent history and everyone who contributed to this farce should be ashamed
She didn't "infiltrate" anything as her activities were public and copiously documented *by her* on social media. She had no reasonable expectation that networking in Washington, DC -- as common as breathing air -- was going to be criminalized under a new, warped legal theory
And for some reason the sexist smears to which she was subjected -- the false charge that she used sex to gain political access -- never troubled people in the media who would strenuously object (rightly) if any other young woman had been maligned in such a disgusting manner
Read this article if you want a definitive account of just how appalling this prosecution was, and how the media cravenly abetted it with lies and smears: newrepublic.com/article/153036…
Finally: Butina has stated repeatedly that if she knew it was required to submit a form declaring her activities, she would have done so. But since virtually NO ONE is ever prosecuted under the theory the government presented, she had no expectation of criminal liability
