McClatchy: FBI Checks If Russian Money Went to NRA

A counterintelligence investigation is underway by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation on whether a banker – Alexander Torshin, deputy governor for the Russian central bank – secretly transferred funds to the National Rifle Association to help the Donald Trump presidential election campaign. “It is illegal to use foreign money to influence federal elections,” reports Peter Stone and Gregg Gordon for the McClatchy Washington Bureau. They write: “the NRA reported spending a record $55 million on the 2016 elections, including $30 million to support Trump – triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Most of that was money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors.” As much as $70 million may have been spent on online ads and field operations. Spain has accused the same banker of money laundering. Russia restricts gun ownership for its citizens, and Torshin is a NRA member. The article details efforts to forge connections among the National Rifle Association, conservatives and Russians. The NRA mission statement notes: “The heart of The NRA Foundation’s mission is preserving the core of our American values and traditions in our steadfast effort to Teach Freedom.” Campaign research conducted by Fusion GPS detailed how Russians rely on non-profit organizations, condo and real-estate investments and even arbitration settlements in other countries, including the United States, to launder money. – YaleGlobal