Mike Johnson joins long list of GOP Putin admirers. During his 2018 campaign for the Louisiana seat, Johnson received a contribution from the Texas-based American Ethane firm, which was predominantly owned by three Russian nationals—Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev. Nikolaev, a notable associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been a controversial figure, especially regarding his financial support of Maria Butina, a Russian national who was imprisoned for acting as an unregistered foreign agent to influence U.S. foreign policy.