Leah McElrath Profile picture
Jul 16, 2018 8 tweets 5 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
#BREAKING

Maria Butina charged with “Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of a Foreign Government”

Charges include exploiting “personal connections with U.S. persons having influence in American politics”

1/3
justice.gov/opa/press-rele…
Maria Butina has OPENLY bragged about being involved in communications between the Trump team and Russia.

@timkmak wrote up this piece on her last year:

2/3
thedailybeast.com/the-kremlin-an…
Maria Butina and her mentor, Alexander Torshin, served as nodal points of connection among the @NRA, the Kremlin, and the Trump administration.

@markfollman and Denise Clifton wrote this #MUSTREAD piece and brought ALL the receipts earlier this year:

3/3
motherjones.com/politics/2018/…
Maria Butina has actually BEEN ARRESTED:

This affidavit by the FBI counterintelligence operative who collected intel on Maria Butina is a beautiful thing to read:

justice.gov/opa/press-rele…

(Never in my life did I imagine saying something like that, btw.)

It appears to connect the NRA with the conspiracy DIRECTLY:
(Okay, I’m so excited I’ve lost feeling in my hands which means I’m probably hyperventilating, lol. I’m going to get up and walk around and breathe for a few minutes and then come back to keep reading and analyzing this beautiful affidavit. Hold on 💜)
The affidavit cites a co-conspirator (pic 1): justice.gov/opa/press-rele…

It says the “RUSSIAN OFFICIAL” was specifically named by the U.S. Treasury Dept as subject to sanctions (pic 2).

Alexander Torshin WAS one of the named sanctioned Russians (pic 3): home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
Re Maria Batina affidavit:

"RUSSIAN OFFICIAL"
=
ALEXANDER TORSHIN

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More from @leahmcelrath

Oct 9, 2018
There is still disinfo and agit prop going on (which @attackerman and @kpoulsen do a good job putting in context here) but some good news:

“Researchers: No Evidence That Russia Is Messing With Campaign 2018—Yet”

1/3
thedailybeast.com/researchers-no…
2/3

A couple of factors to keep in mind:

Trump has the U.S. bully pulpit now and is doing a better job sowing domestic and international division than Putin could have ever hoped for.

There are more mechanisms in place that would result in retaliation for direct interference.
3/3

No matter what the results are on November 6th, I would anticipate there will be a POST-election psy ops effort to try to cast doubt on the outcome and integrity of the electoral process.
Again: I would anticipate that no matter the results. It’s low-hanging fruit for Putin.
Read 4 tweets
Oct 8, 2018
Trump campaign aide Rick Gates sought proposals for social media manipulation (including creation of fake online personas) and opposition intelligence gathering from Psy Group, an Israeli intel firm

(Trump referred to as “the Lion” in proposals 🙄)

🚨
nytimes.com/2018/10/08/us/…
(Those of you who’ve followed me a long time know I have speculated in the past about Israeli versus/in addition to Russian involvement in the social media psy-ops during the 2016 election. Remember all those hashtag “MAGA” troll/bot accounts that had hashtag “StandWithIsrael”?)
Helluva kicker on this story:
Read 10 tweets
Oct 7, 2018
@RadioFreeTom Similar to Trump admin stripping immigrant children from parents: the message is “we can and will target anyone.”

@JKhashoggi didn’t identify as a “dissident,” was supportive of the monarchy, and only sought reform.

MBS apparently believes Trump and Bibi will turn a blind eye.
@RadioFreeTom @JKhashoggi (And MBS is likely correct he will do this with impunity. The context, of course, is the recent imprisonment of numerous female human rights advocates and charging them with serious crimes, seeking the death penalty for at least one - all without meaningful U.S. response.)
@RadioFreeTom @JKhashoggi It’s a horrific but efficient tactic in terms of political economy:

Target one low/non-threat critic to silence all criticism.
Read 7 tweets
Oct 6, 2018
.@JKhashoggi was an journalist with the @washingtonpost.

He entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, went missing, and is now reported to have been killed inside the consulate.
Thread with more information and context on the reported but UNCONFIRMED assassination of @washingtonpost journalist @JKhashoggi

If news re @JKhashoggi proves true, his assassination is an dramatic expansion of Saudi Arabia’s already Draconian war on dissent.

If MBS gets away w doing this w impunity (meaning Trump/Bibi turn a blind eye), some others in the region will follow suit.
middleeasteye.net/news/turkish-p…
Read 6 tweets
Oct 5, 2018
I hope @SenatorCollins is proud of doing her part to promote rape culture.

Just read these (TW for sexual violence survivors):
And more, @SenatorCollins.

You actively promoted rape culture today.

Read 4 tweets

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