Thursday, April 1, 2021

Jailed Russian dissident & Scott Walker have had 1 mutual contact

Should a "Trivial Pursuit" question ever ask -

 "What person did Russian dissident Alexei Navalny and Scott Walker meet under very different circumstances?" 

- the answer is - convicted Russian agent Maria Butina.

Maria Butina, Russian who conspired to infiltrate U.S. groups, visits Navalny in jail, with video cameras in tow

Surely you remember her, Bucky, and let The Washington Post remind you

Timeline: The odd overlap of Maria Butina, the gun-rights movement and the 2016 election

Or let this blog post of July 17, 2018 help you remember the local angle:

[Updated from 1:54 - - Walker is still not taking questions, leaving it to his campaign to bob-and-weave.]

[Updated from 1:35 p.m.] P.T. Barnum is said to have observed "there's no such thing as bad publicity."

Scott Walker might disagree with that, given this Monday evening Washington Post column.

It references Walker when he was riding high in 2015 presidential polling - - first place in Iowa!! - - and crossed paths with a certain Maria Butina, the now-federally-charged alleged Russian agent:
Another criminal allegation against another Russian national who was involved in the 2016 election was announced Monday by the Justice Department... 
April 24, 2015: Butina attends the NRA convention in Nashville. There she and Torshin meet Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), who reportedly greets her in Russian...
July 13, 2015: Butina attends the launch of Walker’s presidential campaign. 
Here's a fuller account in the Cap Times, complete with a photo from a Walker-boosting PAC.
Torshin, Walker, Butina

Torshin, a Russian banker, was later sanctioned by the Treasury Department and cannot be admitted to the US.

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