Mystery dinner sparked fears lawmaker's guest was a 'Russian honeypot': report, tell me about this news in (https://www.rawstory.com/jim-costa-2677940977/)

Here is a summary of the article from Raw Story:

Background & Incident

According to an exclusive report from the outlet Sources Say covered by Raw Story, colleagues of Representative Jim Costa (D-CA) raised concerns about a mystery dinner guest he brought to a congressional delegation (CODEL) dinner in Brussels, Belgium. The trip occurred between February 18 and February 24, 2022, for a NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetingtaking place immediately before Russian forces launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Suspicions

• Colleagues reportedly worried that the young woman accompanying Costa may have been a “Russian honeypot” or asset.

• Two sources stated the woman claimed to be Polish. However, when a Polish-speaking member on the trip attempted to converse with her, she appeared unable to understand or follow the language.

• A third attendee recalled her nationality being presented as Ukrainian, but noted she reportedly did not speak Ukrainian either.

• One attendee remarked that it seemed “blatantly obvious that she was probably a Russian asset,” while others noted the glaring language barrier without confirming her true background.

Rep. Costa’s Response

• Costa strongly rejected the allegations, calling them “baseless.”

• He stated the guest was Ukrainian and had received explicit permission to attend the dinner from the delegation’s chair at the time, former Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

• Costa argued that the claims amounted to hearsay regarding a four-year-old event and noted that none of his colleagues on the delegation had raised any concerns with him directly at the time.