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TODAYS TOP HEADLINES The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Friday, December 14, 2018 3A Russian admits to being secret agent DANA VERKOUTEREN I Associated Press In this courtroom sketch, Maria Butina, left, is shown next to her attorney Robert Driscoll, before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, during a court hearing at the U.S. District Court in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13. BY MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON — A Rus sian woman accused of being a secret agent admitted Thursday that she conspired to infiltrate the American gun-rights movement to gather intelligence on con servative political groups as Donald Trump rose to power. Maria Butina, 30, agreed to plead guilty to a conspir acy charge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. The case, which is sepa rate from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investiga tion into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, has offered insight into how Moscow seeks to influence American policy. Prosecutors say Butina and her Russian patron, Alexander Torshin, used their contacts in the National Rifle Association to pursue back channels to American conservatives during that campaign, when Republican Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton. Court documents detail how Butina saw the Repub lican Party as prime for Russian influ ence and courted conservatives through networking and contacts with the NRA. She posed for photos with prominent Repub licans, including former presidential candidates, and snagged a picture with Donald Trump Jr. at a 2016 NRA dinner. Butina’s case, brought by federal prosecutors in Washington, comes amid a broader push by the Jus tice Department to enforce U.S. laws governing for eign agents, including those accused of working for Russia. As part of her deal, Butina pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent and she agreed to cooperate with investigators. Prosecutors say it is “very likely” she will be deported from the U.S. after her sen tence is completed. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, though the defense noted Thursday that federal sentencing guide lines recommend no time to six months. She has been jailed since her arrest in July. According to her plea agreement, Butina’s work was directed by Torshin, a former longtime member of the Russian par liament who until recently was an official in Russia’s central bank. He is now under sanction by the Trea sury Department for his ties to Russian President Vladi mir Putin. Butina, dressed in green jail scrubs with her red hair pulled into a long ponytail, acknowledged she “sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Ameri cans having power and influ ence over U.S. politics.” She admitted that her boyfriend, conservative political opera tive Paul Erickson, helped her as she tried to use his ties with the NRA to set up the back channels. Erickson, who is referred to as “U.S. Person 1” in court papers, has not been charged. His attorney said he is a good American who “has done nothing to harm our country and never would.” In a 2015 proposal she crafted with Erickson’s help, Butina argued it was unlikely Russia would be able to exert influence using official chan nels and, as an alternative, suggested using back chan nel communications to build relationships with Repub licans, according to court papers. Pushing her travel to the U.S. and her work with the NRA as selling points, Butina argued that she had already “laid the groundwork for an unofficial channel of com munication with the next U.S. administration.” She asked for $125,000 from an unnamed Russian billion aire to attend conferences in the U.S. and meet with people who she thought may have influence with the Republican Party and sent the proposal to Tor shin. He responded by tell ing her the proposal would “be supported, at least in part,” according to court documents. Torshin also asked Butina to help justify him attend ing a national NRA meeting in 2016 and Butina encour aged his attendance “partly because of the opportunity to meet political candi dates,” according to her plea agreement. In addition to attending numerous NRA events, Butina also organized “friendship dinners” in Washington with influential political figures. In their filings, prosecu tors have said federal agents found Butina had contact information for people suspected of working for Russia’s Federal Security Services, or FSB, the succes sor intelligence agency to the KGB. Inside her home, they found notes referring to a potential job offer from the FSB, according to the documents. Investigators recovered several emails and Twitter message conversations in which Butina referred to the need to keep her work secret and, in one instance, said it should be “incognito.” Butina Nancy Pelosi all set to reclaim speaker’s gavel BY LISA MASCAR0 Associated Press WASHINGTON — It has been quite a week for Nancy Pelosi. The televised meeting with President Donald Trump. The deal with restless Demo crats to secure their votes to become House speaker. The fashion statement of her burnt-orange winter coat, swooshing out the doors of the White House, going viral in social media memes. It all showed the staying power of the Democratic leader, who is relentless in her drive to reclaim the gavel and wield it with a strength that is nothing like Washing ton has seen — at least since the last time she did it. “We’ve seen some strong speakers like Pelosi and some weaker speakers,” said Matthew Green, a pro fessor of political science at Catholic University who has written a book about House speakers. “What we’ve seen this week is another demonstra tion of how effective Pelosi is, in both her negotiation skills and in her ability to stand up publicly to a president of the opposite party,” he said. “The most dangerous place to be in Washington is between Pelosi and an undecided vote. It’s like a beeline; she goes right for that person. That’s her thing.” Pelosi has said this time as speaker would be differ ent. On the campaign trail this fall, she told The Associ ated Press she would “enjoy it” more because last time it was all “work.” She said she wants to “show the power of the gavel.” But even before winning back the speakership, she is employing its strength. Pelosi used it during Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting with Trump, refusing his $5 billion border wall money; on Republicans during their last days in the majority; and on her fellow Democrats to give her their support. The public display this week points to the return of one of the more power ful leaders in the history of the House, even if she’s now term-limited herself to serv ing as speaker no more than four years. It’s the start of a long final act of the 78-year- old mother of five and grand mother of nine, and she’s more comfortable than ever taking her seat at the table. “Leader Pelosi really demonstrated this week why she is about to become the speaker of the House,” said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., part of the newer generation of House leaders. “She had a great week.” Not everyone on the Democratic side is pleased with the turn of events, and Republicans made clear they are more than eager to accommodate Pelosi’s rise, employing the kinds of attacks they have for years used against her. They’ll be targeting newly elected Democrats who vote for Pelosi for speaker when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, especially those who had vowed on the campaign trail to oppose her. Republican National Com mittee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted that “So many Dem House candidates have proven themselves to be hypocrites.” She tweeted, “Voters won’t forget it.” And some House Demo crats, including members who have been wait ing for Pelosi to step aside so they could rise in leadership, are grumbling over the deal she cut to impose term lim its for top leaders. Democrats will vote on that proposal in the new year, and it could very well fail. Pelosi has promised to abide by the deal regardless of the vote. “I’m not for term limits,” the No. 2 Democrat, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters. “Is anybody con fused about — I am not for term limits.” But Thursday, the speaker- in-waiting capped off the week-that-was by recapping what had just happened — in case anyone missed the social media memes of Pelosi in that coat, exiting the White House. Pelosi recalled the moment Tuesday in the Oval Office when Trump, arguing with her and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, finally relented and said he’d be “proud” to shut down the government before Christmas — the “Trump shutdown,” as she called it — over the border wall. “Perhaps he doesn’t under stand people need their pay- checks,” she said Thursday. She all but eye-rolled at his insistence that Mexico would pay for it. “I mean really? Really?” And although Pelosi hasn’t spoken to Trump since that day, she confided that he is in her prayers. “I did tell the president that I pray for him. He said, ‘That’s news, go tell the press.” And so she did. In her deal with a group of rebellious House Democrats, Pelosi agreed to limit herself to four years, securing their votes to become speaker. Pelosi said: “They were say ing six months.” Pressed on whether she was making herself a lame-duck leader, she told reporters later, “What, four years? No, I don’t think that’s a lame duck.” It’s an assertive ness coming from the House side of the Capitol that has not been as evident under outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan, who insisted he never really wanted the job, or former Speaker John Boehner, who was sent to early retirement by conservatives in his ranks. She’ll be the first House speaker in 50-plus years to reclaim the gavel after an absence, not since legend ary speaker Sam Rayburn returned in 1955. One of the most preferred House office buildings next to the Capitol complex carries his name. As the first female speaker when she first held the office, it goes without saying — no woman has done what Pelosi is about to do. Pelosi has long been a polarizing figure, but in a lop sided way, more demonized by Republicans than beloved by Democrats. But that seems to be chang ing after an election that is bringing nearly 40 new Dem ocrats for the House major ity, many of them female candidates voted into office on a wave of energy from female voters. Pelosi EARLY DEADLINES FOR CHRISTMAS DAY Because of the upcoming Christmas Day holiday The Times will alter its advertising and legals deadline as follows: Retail Display Ads Publication The Times Date Deadline Wednesday 12/26 Friday, 12/21 Thursday 12/27 Friday, 12/21 Classified Line Ads Publication The Times Date Deadline Wednesday 12/26 Friday, 12/21 @3pm Legal Ads Publication The Times Date Deadline Wednesday 12/26 Wednesday, 12/19 @ 5pm Thursday 12/27 Wednesday, 12/19 @ 5pm She Sfmes gainesvilletimes •com will be CLOSED Tuesday, December 25th, in observance of Christmas. Strasbourg market attack suspect killed by police BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN, ELENA BECAT0R0S AND MSTYSLAV CHERNOV Associated Press STRASBOURG, France — The man authorities believe killed three people during a rampage near a Christ mas market in Stras bourg died Thursday in a shootout with police at the end of a two-day man hunt, French authorities said. The Paris prosecutor’s office, which handles terror cases in France, formally identified the man killed in the eastern French city as 29-year- old Cherif Chekatt, a Strasbourg-born man with a long history of convictions for various crimes, including rob beries. Chekatt also had been on a watch list of potential extremists. Interior Minister Chris- tophe Castaner, speaking earlier from Strasbourg, said police had spot ted a man matching the suspect’s description in the city’s Neudorf neighborhood. “The moment they tried to arrest him, he turned around and opened fire. They replied,” killing the man, Castaner said. Chekatt was suspected of killing three people and wounding 13 near Strasbourg’s Christmas market on Tuesday night. Castaner said earlier Thursday that three of the injured had been released from hos pital and three others were still fighting for their lives. “Our engagement against terrorism is total,” French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Brussels for a European Union sum mit, said in a tweet thanking security forces. Five people have been arrested in connection with the investigation, including Chekatt’s parents and two of his brothers. The Paris prosecutor’s office said the fifth, who was arrested Thursday, was a member of Chekatt’s “entourage” but not a fam ily member. Witnesses said the gun man shouted “God is great!” in Arabic and sprayed gun fire from a security zone near the Christmas market on Tuesday. Security forces wounded the man but he managed to escape in a taxi, which dropped him off in the Neudorf neighborhood. More than 700 officers searched for Chekatt, gov ernment spokesman Benja min Griveaux told CNews television. Chekatt was well-known to police but as a common criminal, not a terrorist. He had his first conviction at 13, and had 26 more by the time he died at age 29. He served jail time in France, Germany and Switzerland. A local police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak pub licly, said the man who shot at police Thursday night had been armed with a pistol and a knife. Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries said police had acted on a tip from a woman. Residents described hear ing shots on the street where Chekatt faced off with police, prompting new jit ters after two days marked by tension in and around Strasbourg, which lies on the border with Germany and is considered as symbol of European unity. 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