Prosecutors Accuse Lawyer for Alleged Russian Spy of Blabbing to the Press
Prosecutors claim Maria Butina's attorney has repeatedly spoken to the press about the case despite a warning from the court during last month's hearing.
August 23, 2018 at 03:40 PM
3 minute read
U.S. Department of Justice. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
Federal prosecutors have accused the attorney representing alleged Russian spy Maria Butina of flouting local rules and ignoring court warnings by speaking to the press.
Local criminal rules prohibit lawyers in a case from speaking publicly about it, since those statements could interfere with a fair trial or prejudice jurors. Lawyers are also restricted from making any “extrajudicial statement” that might reveal a witness' identity or from discussing evidence in the case.
“Despite this clear prohibition, the government has encountered multiple recent instances of you in the press commenting about the merits and evidence of this case,” prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., wrote to Butina's lawyer, Robert Driscoll of McGlinchey Stafford.
In the letter, they cite a number of statements Driscoll made to news outlets in the last month. In one July 28 article for Politico, he confirmed the identity of a Russian individual that Butina had dined with, but “downplayed” the event.
Prosecutors say Driscoll's comments to the media were also “made in disregard of a recent warning” by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia during a status hearing last month. At the time, the judge said she would hold off on issuing a gag order, but cautioned Driscoll—a frequent TV commentator—from running to the press. “Do you think it's in your client's interest to have her case tried in the press?” she asked at the time.
“Your comments in the press since that hearing appear to have been made without any regard to the court's admonition,” reads the letter from prosecutors Thursday.
Prosecutors have charged Butina with conspiring against the U.S. as an undisclosed Russian agent. They say the 29-year-old has been living and working in the country—infiltrating Republican political circles—at the direction of a high-ranking Russian official.
Butina is currently being held in an Alexandria jail after federal Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson ordered her detained as she awaits trial.
Read the letter:
Read more:
Cooperate or Pray for a Pardon: Advice to Paul Manafort
Jeff Sessions, Resisting Trump, Renounces 'Political Considerations' at Justice Dept.
Prosecutors Fear Defense Attorney May Spill Details in Alleged Russian Agent Case
Magistrate Judge Orders Accused Russian Agent Held Pending Trial
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