Interactive Website Everytown.org/NRA-Russia Lets People See How NRA Spent Years Cultivating Relationships with Russian Operatives, Even as Russia Meddled in Our Elections
McClatchy Reports That FBI Is Investigating Whether Russian Banker With Close Ties to Putin and NRA Illegally Funneled Russian Money to NRA During 2016 Election
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety today launched a new interactive microsite, Everytown.org/NRA-Russia, which details longstanding ties between the NRA, Russia and Trump world, as the FBI reportedly investigates “whether Russian money went to the NRA to help Trump” during the 2016 election.
The interactive website lets people see how the NRA spent years cultivating relationships with Russian operatives who are now attracting increased scrutiny from the FBI.
STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:
“For years, the NRA cozied up to Moscow, even as Russia meddled in our elections. Now they won’t answer any questions about it. It makes you wonder how much the gun lobby really spent on Trump in 2016 and where that money might’ve come from. The silence raises troubling questions, and it’s time for the NRA to come clean.”
For years, top NRA officials have cultivated close relationships with influential Russians with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Recently, it was revealed that political operatives close to the NRA attempted to broker a meeting between representatives of the Russian government and the Trump campaign on the sidelines of the 2016 NRA convention. Now, the FBI is “investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency.”
The NRA spent $55 million – or perhaps tens of millions more, according to one report — to influence the 2016 elections. That’s far more than it ever spent during a previous election. But no one knows where the money came from
It’s time for the NRA to come clean by explaining the web of behind-the-scenes connections it has built with Russian operatives — and by revealing where its funding came from.
Questions for NRA leadership:
1. Has the NRA received any money from Russia or Russian-linked individuals?
2. McClatchy reports that NRA spending during the 2016 election may have exceeded $70 million, but the NRA reported spending only $55 million (still far more than it ever spent on a previous election cycle). Will the NRA definitively say how much it spent during the 2016 election, and reveal if any money came from Russia or other foreign entities?
3. Will NRA leadership fully cooperate with any FBI inquiries into its relationship with Alexander Torshin or Russian officials before and during the 2016 election?
4. Did any NRA officials communicate with Alexander Torshin or any other representatives of the Kremlin about the 2016 election or the NRA’s support for Donald Trump?