The FBI is investigating whether a Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency, McClatchy Newspapers reports. FBI investigators have 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. It is illegal to use foreign money to influence federal elections.
The Torshin investigation is a new dimension in the 18-month-old FBI probe of Russia’s interference. A multi-agency U.S. law enforcement and counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s intervention that began before the start of the 2016 election campaign included a focus on whether the Kremlin secretly helped fund efforts to boost Trump. The NRA reported spending a record $55 million on the 2016 elections, including $30 million to support Trump, triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. Most of that was money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors. During the campaign, Trump was an outspoken advocate of the Second Amendment right to bear arms. He suggested that if Hillary Clinton were elected, gun rights advocates could stop her from winning confirmation of liberal Supreme Court justices who support gun control laws.