The National Rifle Association revealed Tuesday it accepts foreign donations but said it does not use them for any election work.
“While we do receive some contributions from foreign individuals and entities, those contributions are made directly to the NRA for lawful purposes,” NRA’s General Counsel John C. Frazer wrote to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., in a letter obtained by National Public Radio. “Our review of our records has found no foreign donations in connection with a United States election, either directly or through a conduit.”
Frazer said the NRA received money from companies based in the U.S. that could be foreign-owned or managed.
“However, none of those entities or individuals is connected with Russia, and none of their contributions were made in connection with U.S. elections,” Frazer added.
Although the NRA is not required to be transparent about the nature of how money moves between its political entities, the ongoing investigation of the Senate Finance Committee and the preliminary investigation of the Federal Election Committee motivated the NRA to acknowledge its money movement.
Pressure on the NRA increased when suggestions emerged that the FBI was investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the NRA to aid Trump’s presidential campaign.
