Before getting into the latest on the National Rifle Association and its foreign contributors, some backstory is in order.
After the NRA’s campaign expenditures saw a dramatic jump in 2016, the group started fielding questions about the money’s sources. In fact, McClatchy News first reported in January that the FBI is exploring whether “a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money” to the NRA to help Trump win the presidency.
The same outlet reported soon after that a former NRA board member, had “concerns” about the group’s ties to Russia “and its possible involvement in channeling Russian funds into the 2016 elections.” Politico reported soon after that the Federal Election Commission has launched “a preliminary investigation into whether Russian entities gave illegal contributions” to the far-right group.
NPR moved the ball forward a bit with a new report two weeks ago, noting that the organization acknowledges accepting money from foreign sources, though the NRA denies anything improper.
But what about Russian donors specifically? Initially, the organization said it only had one Russian contributor. NPR reported today, however, that the group had now revised that total.









