Does a photo show Russian agent Maria Butina in the Oval Office? Fact Check

A viral photo purports to show Maria Butina – a Russian national arrested by the US Justice Department for being an unregistered agent working for the Russian government – entering the White House Oval Office with President Trump.

The photo was given specific prominence when it was tweeted by political journalist Emily C. Singer with the following caption –

I thought this was a photoshop, but it’s not. This is Maria Butina – arrested for being a Russian spy – in the Oval Office with Trump

However, the photo doesn’t appear to show Maria Butina in the Oval Office. The photo was taken shortly after President Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey and subsequently invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak into the Oval Office.

In the photo, in the background, a young red-haired woman can be seen standing at the doorway. It is this woman that many are accusing of being arrested Russian national Maria Butina.

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However, upon a closer inspection, it does not appear to be the same person. The two women may have some superficial similarities, but they are clearly different people.

It is possible that the person in the photo is Cari Lutkins, a staffer for the National Security Council. We’ve included a photo of her below for comparison. The similarities appear closer than when compared to Maria Butina.

Either way, there is nothing to suggest that Maria Butina was ever in the Oval Office and the accusations appear to be entirely based on a casual resemblance between two completely different women, much like those persistent “crisis actor” theories that surface online after US mass shootings.

As such, we don’t recommend spreading this hoax.