Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) are asking National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre to explain his seemingly false claim the pro-gun lobby did not support high-ranking members' 2015 trip to Moscow.
While the NRA’s outside counsel William Brewer told The New York Times that LaPierre “was opposed to the trip” and even prohibited staff members from joining the delegation out of concern that it would be perceived as officially sanctioned, internal NRA emails and photos posted on social media reviewed by ABC News appear to show the organization was significantly involved in planning it.
Lieu, a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and Rice, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, suggested the discrepancy might be evidence of a broader deception and requested a full accounting of any communications, meetings and monetary transactions between NRA officials and Russia-linked individuals.
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Citing what they called the NRA’s “unusually close relationship” with the Trump campaign, as well as its record spending in support of then-candidate Donald Trump, Lieu and Rice ultimately questioned whether the Kremlin might have used the NRA to funnel foreign money into the U.S. election system.
“How much money did the NRA receive from Russia or Russia-linked individuals or entities during the 2016 election cycle?” the lawmakers asked. “Did the NRA use any of that money in their 2016 election campaign contributions?”
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A similar probe is already underway in the Senate, but the Democrats hold the majority in the House, meaning their requests for documents or interviews can be compelled by subpoena — an authority controlled by the party in power.
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This latest probe follows the investigation launched by Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, who is reportedly preparing a detailed report on the trip. Wyden has already publicly disputed the NRA’s attempt to downplay its involvement in organizing the excursion.
“It’s not credible for the NRA to claim that they played no official role in the 2015 Moscow trip,” Wyden told ABC News.
Lawmakers launch new probe into 'complex web' of alleged ties between NRA, Russians (ABC News)