Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) meets with members of Russia’s parliament and Federation Council in Moscow to “open lines of communication” and invites them to visit the United States. He also delivers a letter from Donald Trump for Vladimir Putin.
One of the Russians that Paul invites back to the U.S. is Konstantin Kosachev, an official that is legally prohibited from doing business with the United States. In 2016, Kosachev handed Rep. Dana Rohrabacher disinformation to bring to Washington.
Another Russian political operative in the room is Sergey Kislyak, whose name shows up many times in relation to Trump and friends.
Speaking after the meeting with the senators that lasted about an hour, Paul said it had been “wonderful” and announced he had invited members of the Russian committee to meet with their counterparts in the U.S. from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which he sits.
“My goal in coming to Russia is to say that we want to have open lines of communication,” Paul said at a press conference after the meeting. “I’m pleased to announce that we will be furthering this conversation. We have invited members of the foreign relations committee of Russia to come to the United States and meet with us in Washington.”
ABC News
Russian MP Leonid Slutsky petitions Paul to move the U.S. to release Maria Butina, an undercover agent who infiltrated the NRA and Republican circles.
Texas Republican Phillip Huffines and Cato Institute CEO Peter Goettler accompany Rand Paul on his trip.
Sources
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/09/636982295/is-it-springtime-for-putin-and-republicans
https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1027186813587337216
Photo: Gage Skidmore