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Last updated on February 10th, 2019 at 01:52 am

The NRA is now under congressional investigation for illegally funneling money through shell companies to support Trump and Republican Senators.

The Trace reported on the investigation that is being led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD):

“The evidence shows the NRA is moving money through a complex web of shell organizations to avoid campaign finance rules and boost candidates willing to carry their water,” Whitehouse told The Trace. “And if the NRA can weave such a web, so can Vladimir Putin and others trying to undermine our democracy. We need the truth about this scheme or else special interests like the gun lobby or foreign interests like Russia can flaunt the law and erode the integrity of our elections.”

Whitehouse and Raskin are demanding documents from LaPierre and five related vendors that have either worked for the NRA or for candidates it supported: OnMessage; Red Eagle Media; Starboard Strategic Inc.; American Media & Advocacy Group; and National Media Research, Planning, and Placement.

Troubles are mounting for the NRA

The NRA is forbidden by law from supporting political candidates, so what the organization did was use a series of shell companies to launder the money through and get it to their campaigns of their candidates.

The NRA is already under investigation by the FBI and Robert Mueller for potentially laundering Russian cash and getting it into the Trump campaign. The congressional investigation is picking up on that same thread. If the NRA was illegally funneling money to Trump and Republican Senators, the next logical question is where did the money come from?

It is already known that the Russians infiltrated the NRA. What remains unknown is the size and scope of the Russian influence over the Republican Party, and how many of Putin’s criminal tentacles have touched Republican officeholders.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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