REUTERS/John Sommers II
The National Rifle Association acknowledged that it “accepts foreign donations” but insisted that it does not use the money for “election work,” in a letter obtained by NPR. “While we do receive some contributions from foreign individuals and entities, those contributions are made directly to the NRA for lawful purposes,” NRA’s General Counsel John C. Frazer wrote to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) of the Senate Finance Committee, who asked if the organization received foreign funds. Frazer continued, saying that the NRA has “found no foreign donations in connection with a United States election, either directly or through a conduit,” and no contributions were “connected with Russia.” The NRA has not disclosed the sources or amounts of the foreign funds it has received. This comes as the FBI is reportedly investigating whether a Russian banker funneled funds into the NRA to aid the Trump campaign. The Federal Election Commission has opened an investigation on the matter.