09-10-2018, 01:56 PM
Follow-up to post #302
![[Image: maria_butina-facebook-em.jpg]](https://lgbtqnation-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2018/07/maria_butina-facebook-em.jpg)
Prosecutors have dropped their claim that Russian national Maria Butina, a guns advocate living in Washington, offered to trade sex for access to Republican officials as part of her alleged espionage on behalf of the Russian Federation.
Prosecutors say they misinterpreted some of her texts.
She is still charged with espionage and is requesting to be released from custody.
There will be a hearing today; prosecutors will argue to keep her in jail because, they contend, she is a flight risk and they won't be able to pursue their case if she gets back to Russia.
Prosecutors also contend that the reaction of the Russian government to her arrest and jailing bolsters their espionage case. They say that six senior officials have been sent to meet with Butina during her incarceration.
Story: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/feds-bac...d=57708359
Prosecutors have dropped their claim that Russian national Maria Butina, a guns advocate living in Washington, offered to trade sex for access to Republican officials as part of her alleged espionage on behalf of the Russian Federation.
Prosecutors say they misinterpreted some of her texts.
She is still charged with espionage and is requesting to be released from custody.
There will be a hearing today; prosecutors will argue to keep her in jail because, they contend, she is a flight risk and they won't be able to pursue their case if she gets back to Russia.
Prosecutors also contend that the reaction of the Russian government to her arrest and jailing bolsters their espionage case. They say that six senior officials have been sent to meet with Butina during her incarceration.
Story: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/feds-bac...d=57708359