Prayer, Guns Paved Path to GOP Influence for Accused Russian
- Aide to Putin ally cultivated NRA, religious groups, U.S. says
- Erickson said to be prominent conservative vouching for Butina
Mariia Butina in 2013 in Moscow.
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As a Russian seeking to ingratiate herself in the U.S. political world, Mariia Butina zeroed in on two pillars of the conservative establishment: gun rights activists and religious groups.
She worked as an assistant to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally Alexander Torshin, and together they befriended leaders of the National Rifle Association and organizers of the National Prayer Breakfast during the last election cycle, according to an affidavit released Monday in federal court.