A Republican and a Democratic senator have called on the Federal Reserve and the publisher of a foreign policy magazine to provide more details on 2015 meetings involving senior U.S. financial officials, a Russian central bank official, and Russian spy Maria Butina.
Now, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley R-Iowa, and the top Democrat on that panel, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., want more information.
The meetings involved Butina, now-former Russian Central Bank Deputy Governor Alexander Torshin, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, and former Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs Nathan Sheets. They were reportedly arranged by the Center for the National Interest, the think tank that publishes The National Interest, a foreign policy magazine.
Federal law enforcement officials say Butina acted under Torshin’s direction in a broad attempt to influence U.S. politics. She interacted with several U.S. conservative groups, including the National Rifle Association, over the span of several years. Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy in December and the Treasury Department sanctioned Torshin in April 2018.
“Given what is now known about [Butina and Torshin] from public court filings, it is concerning that Ms. Butina and Mr. Torshin were able to gain access to high-level administration officials responsible for U.S. economic and monetary policy to reportedly discuss U.S. Russian economic relations,” the two senators wrote to the Federal Reserve and Center for the National Interest.
“Furthermore, it is important to better understand what role the CFTNI played in arranging meetings between Ms. Butina and Mr. Torshin and U.S. government officials.”
The two senators want all records related to the meetings from both the Fed and CFTNI, as well as a description of the nonprofit organization’s role in arranging the meetings and what the purpose of those meetings was. A spokesperson for CFTNI did not respond to a request for comment.
