A newly released video shows alleged Russian spy Maria Butina singing a Disney song with Republican political operative Paul Erickson a cringe-worthy duet that her lawyer claims proves the couples love.
Butina, 29, is currently jailed on charges of conspiring to influence American politics while serving as a covert agent of the Russian government. The video shows her cozying up to Erickson, 56, in a recording studio in Russia as they sing Beauty and the Beast, ABC News reported .
Attorney Robert Driscoll told ABC that the video which was a birthday gift from Butina to Erickson disproves claims that she was only using him to gain access to high-ranking American politicians and members of the National Rifle Association. The couple first met in Moscow in 2013 during a meeting with the NRAs then-president. Butina had founded a Russian gun rights group called The Right to Bear Arms.
I think you also look at this and say, This looks pretty legitimate, Driscoll said of the pair as seen in the video. At least I do. Maybe Im a sucker for romance.