Maria Butina and the NRA: What you need to know.
By Katie Peters , Giffords Communications Director
The lobbyists and leaders of the National Rifle Association (NRA) have some explaining to do.
In July, the US Justice Department charged a Russian national, Maria Butina, with conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent to influence American politics at the direction of the Russian government.
Here’s where the NRA comes in: Butina was charged with building ties with the organization to advance the interests of Russia by funneling money to Republican elected officials and creating a communications backchannel.
Government documents and media reports paint an alarming picture: When Butina needed a trusted partner in US politics, she turned to top officials at the NRA for help—and they were more than willing to offer it.
Just how closely is Maria Butina tied to NRA leaders? Let’s take a closer look:
- Working with senior Russian official Alexander Torshin, Butina spent years cultivating a relationship with top NRA leaders , including former president David Keene.
- Starting in 2011, Butina and Torshin began attending annual NRA conventions , where they had private access to Republican lawmakers and fostered close relationships with NRA leadership.
- Butina invited David Keene to Moscow in 2013 to attend a conference hosted by her Russian gun rights group, Right to Bear Arms.
- In 2014, David Keene invited Butina and Torshin to be his special guests at an NRA convention in Indianapolis.
- Butina’s gun rights group hosted a delegation of NRA leaders including Keene, soon-to-be NRA president Pete Brownwell, and others in 2015 in Moscow.
- Butina shares close ties with longtime Republican operative and NRA-linked Paul Erickson . Erickson, who owns a company with Butina , attended the 2015 Right to Bear Arms convention in Moscow with the delegation of NRA leaders.
- In 2016, Erickson contacted campaign officials on behalf of Russian officials to try to set up a meeting between Trump and the Kremlin .
This quote says it all:
As the investigation continues to unfold, the truth is now impossible to deny: The NRA is focused on grabbing money and power above all else, with no regards to the source.
In the 2016 elections, the NRA spent a record $55 million to support their candidates, with $30 million alone allocated toward the election of President Trump.
This is no small matter. The NRA owes it to their membership, whom they profess to speak for, to provide an honest answer on the extent to which the Russian government has used them to exert dangerous foreign influence over our democracy.
Read our press release: Giffords Reacts to the US Justice Department Charges Against Maria Butina, Russian Gun-Rights Activist.