Inside the Decade-Long Russian Campaign to Infiltrate NRA and Elect Trump [seriesly not satire]

Rolling Stone [aka High Times] ^ | April 2, 2018 | Tim Dickinson

[Twotone]

In November 2013, the president of the National Rifle Association, David Keene, was introduced as an honored guest at the conference of the Right to Bear Arms, a gun lobby in Moscow. "There are no peoples that are more alike than Americans and Russians," Keene said. "We're hunters. We're shooters. We value the same kinds of things." Keene underscored his friendship with Alexander Torshin, a top politician in the ruling party of Vladimir Putin; for the past three years, Keene said, "I've hosted your senator Alexander Torshin at the National Rifle Association's annual meetings." In words that now carry a darker connotation, Keene insisted, "We need to work together."

Torshin, now 64, is a roly-poly politician, perhaps five feet six, with thick glasses and a passion for borscht – "like medicine!" he once tweeted. A member of Putin's right-wing United Russia party, he served in the Russian senate for more than a decade, forging close ties to Russia's internal security service, the FSB, which awarded him a medal in 2016. His embrace of Keene, says Steven Hall, who served as chief of Russian operations for the CIA until 2015, was about more than forging "an international brotherhood of the NRA."

As part of Putin's "active measures," Hall says, Russia has attempted to influence right-wing and populist factions abroad, preaching unity around social conservatism: "'We're both religious-based countries – we have the Orthodox Church that's a big deal for us.' " The Russians, Hall believes, "made a natural transition in the United States to the NRA"; over time Putin became determined to exploit the American gun lobby "and decided Mr. Torshin is going to be the guy to do it for him."

Keene proved an easy mark. A career lobbyist who advised presidential candidates from Ronald Reagan to Mitt Romney...

[Mount Athos]

[Mears]

bfl

[Trump20162020]

These are the people that used to mock GOP “Red Scare” over the Soviet Union? They see ‘Russia’ on every street corner.

[Responsibility2nd]

Rolling Stone?

What? They have moved on from making up false college rape stories to THIS????

How sad. Maybe I was just young and dumb, but I seems to remember (40 years ago) when the Rolling Stone was good.

[dirtboy]

But Russia experts believe Torshin's interest in U.S. gun culture masked a dark, ulterior motive. "It's all a big charade, basically," Glenn Simpson, founder of the research firm behind the infamous Steele Dossier, testified to the House Intelligence Committee.

Quoting Glenn Simpson? Credibility falls to zilch right there.

[silverleaf]

Someone tell these jackasses the NRA never sold Russia our uranium...

[rockinqsranch]

Last I heard Rolling Stone was up for sale, and nobody wanted it. I see garbage like this as a pretty good reason. Updates anyone!?

[TTFlyer]

That about says it all.

[familyop]

Another stoned Rolling Stone hippie.

[vette6387]

“”There are no peoples that are more alike than Americans and Russians,” Keene said.”

Horse$hit! Russians have been one of the world’s perennial troublemakers forever.
They are NOTHING like Americans1 They are dark and sinister, and always interested in making trouble.

[heights]

The Effects of LSD on mindless Millenium shines through on this piece of cap.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

If credibility can go negative, this is it.

[Innovative]

Stupid article.

[Twotone]

Yes, that was particularly funny...seeing some dark conspiracy by Russians donating to the NRA. That’s not a crime as far as I can tell. Pay to play IS a crime, & why weren’t they up in arms about that?!

[Jim Robinson]

As part of Putin's "active measures," Hall says, Russia has attempted to influence right-wing and populist factions abroad, preaching unity around social conservatism: "'We're both religious-based countries – we have the Orthodox Church that's a big deal for us.' "

Yes, I remember Putin saying stuff like this back when our country was headed up by an America-hating, liberty-hating Muslim Marxist. I posted at the time that it was a shame that Russia is now the world's leading defender of liberty and religious freedom.

[jiggyboy]

The country has been laughing for months at the idea that Russia would make a special effort to help an organization that advocates for gun rights.

[redgolum]

Russia is probably worried about the NRA influencing them.

Very interesting piece. Trying to tie the NRA to Russia, in order to take down Trump

[rickomatic]

So, by their logic, Russia backed an organization that is populated by arguably the most anti communist folks in the country, to help ensure the 2nd Amendment. Riiiiiight.