Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has asked the National Rifle Association for information about the money it receives from foreign countries.
This connects to the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Election. Wyden says there’s reason to believe Russian oligarchs used the NRA as a conduit for contributions to the Trump campaign.
“If those allegations are true. What was the motivation for the Russians? I don’t think that motivation was because the Russians are interested in skeet-shooting. I think they wanted influence with the president.”
The NRA says it receives foreign money but it is not for political campaigns. An NRA spokesman has denied that funds it receives from foreign nationals comes from Russians. But Wyden has asked for a more detailed accounting of NRA contributions.