The prosecutors in the case against alleged Russian agent Mariia Butina sent a letter to her lawyer Thursday expressing their “concerns” about his “apparent ongoing violations” of court rules limiting certain public comments about cases.
“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,” the prosecutors wrote to attorney Robert Driscoll, adding that his comments came even after a court hearing where the judge “cautioned you that it may impose a gag order if any future statements are made in violation” of the rules.
The letter pointed specifically to Driscoll’s comments in articles in late July and August in Politico, Washington Post and RT.
Prosecutors filed the letter on the case’s docket, while warning that “if the government continues to encounter evidence of further violations of the Rule, the government may seek relief from the Court.”
Butina has been charged with acting as an unregistered Russian agent. She has pleaded not guilty.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 10.
Read the letter below:
