A day after McClatchy released a report uncovering that several “elite Russians,” some in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle or high in the Russian Orthodox Church, had contact with National Rifle Association officials during the 2016 election, New York Daily News published an editorial titled “National Яifle Association: The gun lobby and Putin’s pals.”
In the piece, the New York Daily News calls out the NRA for its response to the “ongoing federal probe into whether a Russian banker used the association to illegally channel millions into 2016 campaigns.”
The NRA has denied being contacted by the FBI about anything related to Russia.
“In response to that claim, the NRA has adopted an ever-changing line. First, it identified one lone Russian who gave about $1,000. Under prodding from congressional Democrats, the story changed to a few dozen contributors having given not much more than $2,500 apiece.
“When questions turned to the role of non-reportable ‘dark money,’ the NRA clammed up.
“If this sounds familiar, it’s because it mirrors the line of Trump associates, who have downplayed or lied about their contacts with Russian operatives during and after the election.
“If the pen is mightier than the sword, hope the truth is mightier than the gun.”
The FBI is reportedly investigating whether Russian banker, politician, lifetime NRA member and NRA donor Alexander Torshin “illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency” in 2016. Torshin was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department earlier this year. According to a recent report, the FBI recently obtained wiretaps of conversations between Torshin and a convicted Russian money launderer, Alexander Romanov, in which Romanov referred to Torshin as “‘El Padrino,’ the godfather.”
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