DID AN ACCUSED MONEY LAUNDERER FUNNEL MILLIONS TO THE NRA?

[Judi Lynn]

Alexander Torshin is a Russian politician accused of financial crimes in Spain, and now the FBI is checking into his ties with the Trump campaign.
SEBASTIAN ROTELLA 21 MINUTES AGO

As the Spanish police investigated the presence of a notorious Russian organized crime group on the resort island of Mallorca in 2012, they realized that a key figure described by some of the suspects as their "godfather" was a powerful Moscow politician: Alexander Torshin.

Spanish prosecutors decided in the summer of 2013 to arrest Torshin, who was then a senator, officials say. Police set up an operation to capture him during a visit to Mallorca, but he mysteriously canceled the trip at the last minute, apparently as the result of a tip, authorities said. Torshin was never charged, while the other suspects were convicted of money laundering. Last year, he publicly denied any wrongdoing in the Spanish money-laundering case.

Now, Torshin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has re-emerged as a potentially important figure in special prosecutor Robert Mueller's inquiry into suspected Russian support for the campaign of President Donald Trump.

Last week, McClatchy Newspapers reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether Torshin, now a deputy governor of Russia's central bank, funneled money to the National Rifle Association that was subsequently spent in support of the Trump campaign. The NRA reported spending $30 million on advertisements and other aid to Trump, part of a record $55 million that the group spent during the 2016 campaign cycle, according to the McClatchy story.

More:
https://psmag.com/news/russian-money-launderer-sending-millions-to-nra

[Cracklin Charlie]

1. It's gotta be Christmas, right?

News is breaking out all over.

Hopefully, it's not Fitzmas, or April Fool's Day.

[TomSlick]

2. Rule #1: Follow the money.

I am increasingly convinced that it will be money laundering that will bring down this house of cards.

[MBS]

5. " " " " n/t

[Nitram]

3. I'm waiting for the NRA shoe to drop.

[UCmeNdc]

4. Ryan and McConnell are awfully quiet about this.

If the Democratic Party pulled a stunt like this the media would never stop talking about the scheme.