Spy rap for Vlad gun gal

A Russian woman was indicted by a federal grand jury on espionage and conspiracy charges Tuesday for allegedly trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association as part of a complex effort to curry favor with the Republican Party on the Kremlin’s behalf.

Maria Butina, who was arrested by federal agents on Sunday, has acted as an unregistered Russian agent in the U.S. since 2015 while trying to inject Kremlinfriendly policies into American politics, according to an indictment unsealed in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C.

Butina (photo), 29, operating at the behest of a senior Russian government official, would attend prayer meetings and NRA conventions in order to advance President Vladimir Putin’s “long-term strategic objectives in the United States,” court papers charge.

The Russian government official, who’s not identified by name in the indictment, is likely Alexander Torshin, a top official at Russia’s Central Bank who is closely linked to Putin and was sanctioned by the U.S. government earlier this year.

Torshin is a lifelong member of the NRA.

“Butina and others known and unknown to the grand jury, including the Russian official, knowingly did combine, conspire, confederate, and agree together and with each other to commit an offense against the United States,” the filing says.

The NRA has faced scrutiny from special counsel Robert Mueller over its conspicuous ties to Torshin, who is suspected of having funneled cash into the 2016 presidential election by using the powerful gun lobby as a proxy. The charges brought against Butina are not derived from Mueller’s investigation