FOR THE SAKE OF THE NARRATIVE, THERE NEEDED TO BE A RUSSIAN SPY. THEREFORE, SHE WAS A RUSSIAN SPY. Maria Butina: jailed for the crime of being Russian: She’s a political prisoner, caught up in the mess of the Mueller probe. “Maria Butina was not a Russian spy. She did not trade sex for influence. She had nothing to do with any clandestine espionage activity, nor did she ever hide her dealings with American political officials. In fact, she unabashedly loved America – perhaps to a fault. But she’s currently sitting in jail, and almost no one will say a word in her defense. The ordeal to which she’s been subjected is jaw-dropping for its recklessness and absurdity.”

As are so many things that have been twisted to fit a narrative shaped by hysteria, denial, and partisan opportunism. All engaged in by people who say they’re defending the “rule of law.”