As accused Russian agent Maria Butina prepares to plead guilty in court Thursday, Democratic lawmakers, especially those in the House who will hold subpoena power in January, are preparing to investigate more thoroughly any connections between Russia and the National Rifle Association (NRA) during the 2016 election.
“This is certainly one of the investigative threads that the GOP would not allow us to pursue," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who is poised to become the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. "And there were witnesses that were very pertinent that we wanted to bring in.”
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The Department of Justice charged Butina in July for allegedly working as a Russian agent seeking to “infiltrate organizations” by developing relationships with U.S. individuals who were active in American politics.
“I would like to know more about it. I think there are a lot of unanswered questions there now that we know Maria Butina is cooperating,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), another Intelligence panel member.
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Some Democrats say they specifically want to examine whether the Russians may have laundered money through the NRA to President Trump and other candidates during the presidential election. They pointed to analysis that the NRA surpassed its spending during the 2016 race by nearly $100 million compared to previous years.
“So we know that the NRA spent a historic amount of money on the 2016 elections to help not just Donald Trump get elected but also a number of senators and members of Congress. We want to know where that money came from,” said Rep. Ted Lieu (D), a California lawmaker who also sits on the House Judiciary Committee.
“And based on public reporting, some of that came from Russia, or at least was Russian-related. And we want to know if any of that money then went to help Trump or those lawmakers elected,” he added.
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Earlier this year, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee claimed that they had obtained documents that suggest Russia used the NRA “to secretly fund Mr. Trump’s campaign.” Butina was named in the panel's preliminary findings.
The Democrats identified Butina and Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia, as two people of particular interest. Butina worked as an assistant to Torshin.
Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced Wednesday he also is interested in the NRA's 2018 midterm election expenditures.
“I am writing to request your assessment on whether Kremlin funds have been directed through the NRA to support U.S. political campaigns during the 2018 election cycle—an action that, if it occurred, would represent a breach of U.S. law and violate the sovereignty of our democratic system and, as such, merits close scrutiny by your respective agencies,” Sen. Menendez stated in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and FEC Commissioner Caroline Hunter. “I also request that your agencies work to determine whether individuals serving as candidates, campaign staff or volunteers in any House or Senate races were aware of, or helped to facilitate, the flow of Russian money to these campaigns.”
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The Senator pressed Director Wray and Commissioner Hunter that it is the responsibility of their agencies to counter threats emanating from the Kremlin against our electoral processes
“Effectively neutralizing these threats requires that we identify them in real-time, which is why it is important that your agencies direct scrutiny to not just a possible Russia-NRA conduit during the 2016 election, but also whether that conduit is still active today,” the letter continued.
Related:
Democrats signal growing interest in examining ties between NRA, Russia (The Hill)
Menendez Calls for FBI, FEC Investigation into Illegal Russian $$$ Funneled into 2018 Midterms (press release)