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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is there evidence that Russia channeled funds to Trump’s 2016 campaign via the NRA?

By Christopher Hutton
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NO

The National Rifle Association, under its tax code status as a 501(c)(4), is able to make political donations without revealing the funds' sources. It told Senate Democrats in 2018 that it had received $2,512 from Russian sources over a four-year period, mostly from routine contributions, dues and subscriptions. The Democrats later published a staff report detailing various ways the NRA helped Russians gain access to Republican officials leading up to Donald Trump's election. The report found that some of the activity could call into question the tax-exempt status of the organization itself.

The NRA contributed $30 million in support of Donald Trump's campaign in 2016. Disclosures of various sponsorships and transactions give a partial picture of funding of its political and lobbying activities.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Senate: NRA response to Finance Committee
US Senate: Finance Committee minority staff report on NRA and Russia
Open Secrets: Cash-strapped NRA discloses spending on foreign fundraising for first time
Open Secrets: NRA 2016 contributions for Trump and against Clinton
Ballotpedia: 501(c)(4)
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.