Discussion: NRA Acknowledges Receiving Foreign Funds, Moving Money Between Accounts

TPM Article Topics
21

Lock them up

14 Likes
22

“Some donations received between 2015 and 2016 came from U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, but none were “connected with Russia, and none of their contributions were made in connection with U.S. elections.””

Why is this sentence written as though it is fact?

21 Likes
23

Yes…it’s the flood gate Obama was talking about and Justice Alito was childishly denying. Fungibilty is a tough concept…like Net Neutrality. Hence they’re easy to dog on because most folks don’t get the issue enough to see what’s happening.

30 Likes
24

41 Likes
25

17 Likes
26

Interesting. This is the same explanation that Planned Parenthood uses when the republicans attack them for using federal funds on abortions. No doubt they will give the NRA’s argument the same treatment…

21 Likes
27

It appears that Russian intelligence has infiltrated not just the Republican party but also Republican advocacy groups like the NRA, the white christian supremacist movement, conservative churches, Republican data firms and conservative think tanks.

29 Likes
28

Part of the current NRA’s agenda is pushing the theory that there are scary people, particularly foreigners out to hurt you and your family.
I wonder how many of those funds are from people who really are threats to our well being.

15 Likes
29

They’re lying.

Of course they’re lying.

14 Likes
30

National Russianlovers’ Association

17 Likes
31

Exactly. The fungible nature of money is used repeatedly against Planned Parenthood.

16 Likes
32

TRANSLATION - “We hope the detergent we used for our money laundering was as good as advertised”…

10 Likes
33
10 Likes
34

Thank you Citizens United for legalizing bribery.

19 Likes
35

If money fungible at Planned Parenthood, why isn’t it fungible for the NRA?

16 Likes
36

I detect lawyerly over-literalism here. What about funds received before 2016? What about funds from former Soviet Republics (e.g. Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan)? Or funds from shell companies in Cypress

8 Likes
37

Perhaps a name change is in order to International Rifle Association. Or, more accurately, to Russian-American Rifle Association.

Mr. Mueller is watching this, for sure.

11 Likes
38

I’d settle for this…

8 Likes
39

If the NRA “is not required to disclose how funds are transferred between its various entities” then there is in fact absolutely no way to prove that foreign donations did or did not wind up as illegal campaign donations.

It’s actually very simple: Money is fully fungible – one dollar can be substituted for another dollar at will – thus a dollar here cannot be distinguished from a dollar there in the absence of a complete and preferably audited paper trail. The NRA can be doing anything it wants with any dollars it collects. Full stop.

NB: Fungibility is one reason why the “double taxation” argument doesn’t hold up well. Take a dollar bill out of your purse and tell me how many times it has been taxed. It doesn’t take much thought to realize it could have been taxed a dozen times or not at all; there is simply no way to tell.

13 Likes
40

Of course, there’s a more fundamental question here. Why would an organization devoted to promoting gun ownership in the U.S. be receiving foreign money at all, for any purpose? Not illegal, but maybe it should be.

32 Likes