FBI investigating Russia-NRA link
UNITED STATES: The FBI is investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funnelled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the US presidency, two sources familiar with the matter say.
FBI counterintelligence investigators had focused on the activities of Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank, who is known for his close relationships with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the NRA, the sources said.
It is illegal to use foreign money to influence federal elections.
It is unclear how long the Torshin inquiry has been going, but the news comes as Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller’s sweeping investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, including whether the Kremlin colluded with Trump’s campaign, has been heating up.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for Mueller’s office declined to comment.
Disclosure of the Torshin investigation signals a new dimension in the 18-month-old FBI probe of Russian interference.
The NRA reported spending a record US$55 million on the 2016 election, including US$30m to support Trump – triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Most of that money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors.
Two people with close connections to the powerful gun lobby group said its total election spending actually approached or exceeded US$70m. The reporting gap could be explained by the fact that independent groups are not required to reveal how much they spend on internet advertising or field operations.
During the campaign, Trump was an outspoken advocate of the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Torshin, a leading figure in Putin’s party, has been implicated in money laundering by judicial authorities in Spain. Spanish investigators alleged that Torshin, who was then a senator, capitalised on his government role to assist mobsters laundering funds through Spanish properties and banks.
A summary of the still-secret called Taganskaya.
Investigators for three US congressional committees probing Russia’s 2016 operations also have shown interest in Torshin, a lifetime NRA member who has attended several of its annual conventions.
Torshin spoke with Donald Trump Jr at the group’s national gathering in Kentucky in May 2016, when his father won an earlier-than-usual NRA presidential endorsement.
Mueller’s investigation has been edging closer to Trump’s inner circle. This week, Mueller negotiated an agreement under which Steve Bannon, who was recently ousted from his post as a senior White House adviser, would fully respond to questions about the Trump campaign.
Torshin is among a phalanx of Putin proxies to draw the close attention of US investigators, who also have tracked the activities of several Russian billionaires and pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs who have come into contact with Trump or his surrogates.
Torshin tried unsuccessfully to broker a meeting between Putin and Donald Trump in 2016, according to the He also sought to meet privately with the candidate himself near the 2016 NRA convention.
Torshin’s ties with the NRA have flourished in recent years. In late 2015, he hosted two dinners for a high-level NRA delegation during a week-long visit to Moscow that included meetings with influential Russian government and business figures.
The House and Senate Intelligence committees and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also have taken an interest in Torshin as part of their parallel inquiries into Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections.
In questioning Trump Jr at a closed-door hearing in midDecember, investigators for the Senate Intelligence Committee asked about his encounter with Torshin at the NRA convention, according to a source familiar with the hearing.
Torshin’s contacts with the NRA and the Trump campaign last year also came to the attention of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-inlaw and key adviser, who scotched the idea of a personal meeting with Trump near the 2016 NRA convention.