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    Five Questions the NRA Should Answer About its Russia Ties During the NRA Convention

    5.2.2018

      • How much Russia-connected money has the NRA taken? After previously saying it had taken no Russia-affiliated donations during 2015-2016, the NRA later acknowledged receiving more than $2,500 from at least 23 Russia-connected individuals since 2015. The NRA’s relationship with Alexander Torshin — the Russian banker, politician and Putin ally who was recently sanctioned and has attracted scrutiny from the FBI — began earlier, in 2011.
      • Why did the NRA send delegations to Moscow to meet with Russian government officials, Torshin and his longtime aide Maria Butina, who has claimed to have been a go-between connecting the Trump campaign and Russia? The NRA sent delegations to Moscow in 2013 and 2015, but has not explained the purpose of those trips.
      • Why did the NRA host Torshin and Butina at multiple NRA conventions, allowing them access to its Golden Ring of Freedom high-dollar donor group? In a new CNN report, it was revealed that “Torshin and Butina had become fixtures at the NRA’s high-dollar donor events, according to attendees,” even attending a dinner for the NRA’s large donor program, known as the Golden Ring of Freedom. The NRA has recently claimed that no Russian individuals were members of Golden Ring of Freedom.
      • Did NRA officials ever discuss the 2016 election with Torshin, Butina or other Russian officials in the lead up to the 2016 election?
      • Is the NRA still in contact with Alexander Torshin, Maria Butina or other individuals connected to the Kremlin? The NRA said in a recent letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) that it was reviewing its relationship with Alexander Torshin.
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      Did you know?

      Every day, more than 120 people in the United States are killed with guns, twice as many are shot and wounded and countless others are impacted by acts of gun violence.

      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. WONDER Online Database, Underlying Cause of Death. A yearly average was developed using four years of the most recent available data: 2018 to 2021.

      Last updated: 2.13.2023