Tag Archives: NRA

The Daily Beast reports: The Kremlin has long denied that it had anything to do with the infiltration of the NRA and the broader American conservative movement. A U.S. intelligence report reviewed by The Daily Beast tells a different story. Alexander Torshin, the Russian central bank official who spent years aggressively courting NRA leaders, briefed the Kremlin on his efforts …

The Trace reports: The National Rifle Association appears to have illegally coordinated its political advertising with Republican candidates in at least three recent high-profile Senate races, according to Federal Communications Commission records. In Senate races in Missouri and Montana in 2018, and North Carolina in 2016, the gun group’s advertising blitzes on behalf of GOP candidates Josh Hawley, Matt Rosendale, …

The Daily Beast reports: More than 4 million children endured school lockdowns last year, according to a Washington Post report based on a review of news stories and data from school districts in 31 of the country’s largest cities. Experiencing a lockdown can be extremely traumatizing for children, with some soiling themselves and writing what they believe to be their …

“I would love to see the president – and I think the president could do this – he could just go ahead and shut down the border, and then shut down the government, and then challenge Democrats to do something about it. For those Republicans in congress who refuse to stand on their own, perhaps they would need a little …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Justice Department is effectively banning rapid-fire bump stock devices, like the ones used in last year’s Las Vegas massacre, making them illegal to own or sell and likely setting the stage for long legal battles with gun owners and manufacturers. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker signed and submitted a regulation prohibiting the firearm accessory …

Bloomberg News reports: The U.S. government fears for the safety of Maria Butina, the 30-year-old Russian who’s cooperating with U.S. prosecutors after admitting she failed to register as a foreign agent, according to a court filing. “Although the fact of defendant Butina’s cooperation is now public, the details of her transportation to and from the jail are not,” Justice Department …

Media Matters reports: The National Rifle Association is encouraging people to buy its membership by playing on the fact that service members will be away from their families during the holidays. In the two-minute spot released on December 12, NRA President Oliver North points out, “As we gather with loved ones this holiday season, tens of thousands of American soldiers, …

Talking Points Memo reports: Accused Russian agent Maria Butina pleaded guilty in a Washington, D.C. federal courtroom today to a conspiracy charge, according to reports from the courthouse. CNN reported that Butina admitted at the plea hearing to “knowingly engaging in conspiracy against the United States.” Butina ran much of her infiltration campaign while studying at a master’s program at …

CNN reports: The Russian government claims that Maria Butina, the accused Russian spy who had cultivated connections with the National Rifle Association before the 2016 US election, was “tortured” while in US custody. In an exclusive interview with CNN Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova alleged that Butina was treated to a “medieval inquisition” while in detention and said …

The New York Post reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday claimed none of his intelligence chiefs knows “anything about” alleged Russian spy Maria Butina. The 30-year-old grad student is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to conspiracy for working with a GOP operative and a Russian official to establish unofficial lines of communication between US politicians and the Kremlin. But …

ABC News reports: Maria Butina, a 30-year-old Russian gun rights activist who stands accused developing a covert influence operation in the United States, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in any ongoing investigations. She admits, as part of the deal, according to a copy obtained by ABC News that is expected …

The Daily Beast reports: The National Rifle Association’s media arm has dropped pro-Trump firebrand Dan Bongino from its lineup of conservative commentators, two sources with knowledge of the decision told The Daily Beast. Bongino’s stand-alone show, “We Stand,” had started only last year. An NRA spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Bongino initially did not respond to …

Bloomberg reports: Donald Trump’s presidential campaign may have illegally coordinated with the National Rifle Association in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election, two watchdog groups said in a complaint filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission. The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action and its political action committee, the NRA Political Victory Fund, placed $25 million worth of television …

Talking Points Memo reports: Prosecutors and Maria Butina — a Russian national who’s been accused of being an unregistered foreign agent — requested Monday that a judge schedule a hearing this week so that Butina can change her plea. The filing was a suggestion that Butina and prosecutors may have reached a plea deal in the case. Butina had pleaded …

Mother Jones reports: House Democrats plan to prioritize a bill that will require a background check for every gun sale, according to multiple sources close to the matter. The legislation represents an aggressive shift in strategy by Democrats and their gun reform allies, who in previous years had tended to pursue more modest background check bills that would have exempted …

“The American public can dictate, in some respects, what the media covers just simply by turning the channel when it’s something they don’t want to see. But in the end, when it comes to school shootings, you’ve got liberals inside the media that by and large hate guns. Every time they can publicize a school shooting, not only does it …

Media Matters reports: A veteran producer for the National Rifle Association’s media operation, Cameron Gray, announced today that he and several of his colleagues had been laid off from NRATV. The layoffs follow reporting on the NRA’s most recent tax filings, which show a $55 million drop in revenue between 2016 and 2017. The launch of NRATV in 2016 presaged …

“Being a hero isn’t chosen for you very often. You didn’t wake up that day, just like Col. [Oliver] North says, and think, ‘I’m going to be a hero today.’ You’ve gotta be trained and prepared to be a hero every day. And one of the things I trained my sons is that wherever you go, people should be safer …

The Daily Beast reports: The nation’s leading gun rights organization saw its income dip by $55 million last year, after a record-breaking 2016 in which the group and its political affiliates spend unprecedented sums to elect President Donald Trump. The National Rifle Association of America reported $98 million in contributions in 2017, down from nearly $125 million in 2016, according …

Mother Jones reports: The National Rifle Association is doing away with free coffee and water coolers for employees at its Fairfax, Virginia, headquarters—a cost-cutting move that has NRA insiders perturbed. “The whole building was freaking out,” said one former employee who remains in contact with current staffers. The coffee cutback is the just latest indication that the NRA is hurting …