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Thursday, Jul. 23, 2020

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

Christopher Hutton, Gigafact
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.

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