Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker met during his presidential bid with woman now arrested in Russian plot

Patrick Marley | Milwaukee

MADISON – A Siberian woman charged Monday as part of an alleged Russian plot to interfere with U.S. politics was at Gov. Scott Walker’s presidential campaign launch and said she did not see him as being hostile toward Russia.

The woman, Mariia Butina, attempted to establish lines of communication with American politicians that could be used to influence U.S. decision-making about Russia, according to court documents filed Monday.

Walker, who is seeking a third term this year, made a brief bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2015. Butina attended the launch of his campaign in Waukesha, according to a report this May from Mother Jones magazine that included a photo of an online post by Butina from the event.

Earlier, in April 2015, Butina posted photos of meeting Walker and other politicians in Tennessee, according to Mother Jones. In a blog post attributed to her at the time, Butina said Walker greeted her in Russian and she did not detect any hostility from him toward Russia, according to an April 2018 report from Rolling Stone.

Photos of their meeting were posted on the website of Our American Revival, a political group set up by Walker leading up to his presidential run.

Walker's campaign spokesman did not immediately answer questions Monday about Walker's interactions with Butina.

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Federal authorities unsealed charges Monday against the 29-year-old Russian national who is accused of seeking to infiltrate American political organizations, including the National Rifle Association, on behalf of the Kremlin.

Butina was due in federal court later Monday following her weekend arrest in Washington.

The charges are not related to Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing inquiry into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. Rather, the case was announced by the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, where federal investigators asserted Butina has been operating as a covert Russian agent since her arrival in August 2016.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson. Follow Patrick Marley on Twitter: @patrickdmarley