NRA admits moving money from accounts with foreign donations to US campaign accounts

[meow2u3]

The National Rifle Association acknowledged this week that it has moved money from accounts with foreign donation to accounts that are used for spending on U.S. political campaigns. The organization insists the transactions are “permitted by law.”

After it was announced that special counsel Robert Mueller was investigating whether the NRA was used to funnel Russian money into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked the gun group to prove that the allegations were untrue.

NPR reported on Tuesday that the NRA admitted in a letter to Wyden that “we do receive some contributions from foreign individuals and entities,” but it also insisted that “those contributions are made directly to the NRA for lawful purposes.”

According to NPR, “the movement of its money between accounts could make it difficult, if not impossible, to track how the money is spent since it is not isolated or sequestered.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/nra-admits-moving-money-accounts-foreign-donations-us-campaign-accounts/

[crazycatlady]

1. lock em up

[Wellstone ruled]

2. Oh yes,so busted.

[poboy2]

3. Russian mob money. -nt

[blake2012]

4. This is clearly money laundering to hide foreign contributions to campaigns

If this is not illlegal for some fucktastic reason, then Congress better be working on better accountability for 503(c) organizations and other entities to keep this from being a pass through of foreign campaign contributions.

[Initech]

37. Their punishment needs to be Office Space!

"If we get caught money laundering, we're not going to white collar resort prison!"

[spanone]

5. That is illegal I believe as we watch the congressional watchdogs look the other way.

According to NPR, “the movement of its money between accounts could make it difficult, if not impossible, to track how the money is spent since it is not isolated or sequestered.”

DUH

[Eliot Rosewater]

10. All the more reason to vote for ANY democrat NO MATTER WHAT

And to PUSH back VERY HARD at ANYONE suggesting anything else.

[erronis]

25. And watch out for the recent "cross-overs" - those that have "found the truth"

I'll forgive a few early transgressions in their 20's/30's. But if some 'uglican decides that s/he has decided to join the forces of liberalism I'd tell them to find another boat.

We really need strong democrats that believe in the people first, the country, and the wellness of the world. Fortunately we can look at a lot of peoples' histories and find out if they've been consistent on the issues we care about.

[continentalop2]

27. Ahem... Elizabeth Warren

I can't understand why so many see her as a progressive savior. I personally don't trust her. Voted Republican until age 46!

[More_Cowbell]

33. An organization can't use its own lack of tracking to say it's not guilty

The NRA should have been sequestering that money all along.

Why should anyone in another country be interested in funding the NRA?

[njhoneybadger]

6. Fucking yes, lock em up

[Angry Dragon]

7. Tom Emmer (R MN-6) says if you can not prove it you are doing something illegal

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. Weird they would admit this at this stage.

Has Mueller already busted them so to speak on this as in he knows they are so they have no choice but to tell the truth?

Remember, NRA, GOP, KGB, etc., all the same thing when it comes to many things including the truth.

[gratuitous]

9. It's just so confusing!

"Money comes in, money goes out. We don't track it, and if there's an extra few million in the bank that we want to spend on political campaigns, who can say for sure where it came from? Money's money, amirite?"

A pretty convincing argument for anyone who doesn't know what the regulations and standards are for, say, unions. Unions have to account for every penny they get in dues from members and non-member fair share payers. Every expenditure is defined down to a gnat's eyelash so that fair share payers (workers in a bargaining unit who suck up all the benefits of union representation but refuse to pay for expenditures deemed to be not a direct benefit to workers, like political or lobbying activity) get a full refund on any portion of their dues not spent directly on worker benefits, including the expenses of keeping track of those expenditures.

If unions can do it, why can't the NRA?

[TheBlackAdder]

11. "SOME CONTRIBUTIONS" Seems to need clarification. Are they 2,000 $5 ones or twenty $10 Million ones?

[unblock]

12. Breaking: nra insists money laundering is perfectly legal

[uponit7771]

19. +1, looks like the Russian way

[sarcasmo]

13. The NRA tax exempt status needs to vanish. 2019 is going to be full of House investigations.

[louis-t]

14. First they denied it, though.

Lying, filthy pigs.

[Achilleaze]

15. That's fundamentally disloyal to America and American democracy.

Take a look in the mirror, NRA.

[UCmeNdc]

16. Corruption!

[SpankMe]

17. Dems should pounce on this in an effort to kill the NRA

Republican outrage killed ACORN and threatens other left-leaning entities for trivial issues.

Dems need to go ACORN on Repubs and get the NRA. It should be a blitzkrieg.

[rainin]

24. Speaking of acorn, why don't we demand they be brought back.

That was a witch hunt!

[cstanleytech]

18. So to early for "Lock them up"?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

20. Money is fungible. They can divert dues to campaigns if foreign money pays other stuff.

So, effectively foreign money funds campaigns.

And the NRA is so brazen and craven that they mix the money regardless.

Bottom line, what is foreign money buying by "donating" to a US national organization?

[matt819]

23. Damn - you beat me to the fungibility issue :-( (nt)

[NewJeffCT]

21. Naive DUers - always remember

It's OK If You're A Republican (IOKIYAR)

[matt819]

22. Money is fungible

So. . . I think one possible (likely? definite?) conclusion is that every foreign contribution was transferred to American campaigns. Foreign contributions to American election campaigns is illegal.

Sure, there are loopholes, but I'm hoping that DOJ and FEC lawyers are smarter than NRA lawyers.

Can't put my hands on the penalties for these violations.

[LeftInTX]

29. Yeah.....Is this legal????

NRA claims it is.......

[LeftInTX]

32. Well this $ucks:

The NRA has twice been challenged by the FEC for illegally moving corporate funds to its PAC. In 1983, the NRA signed a consent decree declaring that it would “no longer spend corporate funds in connection with any federal election” and would limit its “partisan communications” to members. Eight years later, in 1991, U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Sporkin held that a $415,000 payment by corporate NRA to the PVF was an “illegal contribution” in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act. But an appeals court ruled that the FEC as then constituted lacked authority to enforce the law. https://www.yahoo.com/news/guns-and-money-calls-mount-to-probe-nra-finances-117704361976.html

So, how are campaign laws enforced if they can't be enforced by the FEC?

[mulsh]

26. Deep proctological forensic accounting looms in the NRA's future.

n/t

[JDC]

28. Criminals

[Stuart G]

30. What if NRA money did end up in the Trump campaign?...

If illegal money has ended up in the Trump campaign, then Mueller probably knows about it now. Why say that?
Because that team of investigators has specialties in many fields. Money laundering is one those specialties. If the NRA did launder money to the Trump campaign, and Mueller has access to that info,...(which I think he does have) then Mueller and Co. have already looked at it. Do you think that the "Trump Campaign" has been looked at by Mueller and Co.?....I think so!!

[UCmeNdc]

31. Why isn't the Media reporting this?

Link to tweet

This seems to be the whole smoking gun right in front of your eyes.

[peggysue2]

34. The NRA + Money Laundering

Perfect together. Any wonder they love the Trumpster???

[annabanana]

35. Fine them into oblivion!! . . . . n/t

[spicysista]

36. Wow! Just, wow.

[Marcuse]

38. Oh, and send a $30M contribution directly to the NRA for lawful purposes.

[BigmanPigman]

39. I wonder about THE evangelicals who are pals with Putin and the NRA.

If those three are doing anything with money, the US campaigns, and "donations" and are linked together than you know it is 100% corrupt.

[Amaryllis]

40. Wyden is brilliant.