A Russian politician with links to the Kremlin has worked to influence conservatives since 2009, frequently traveling back and forth from Russia to America, and going beyond his bounds as a legislator and later at the Russian central bank, NPR reports.
Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, was a member of the National Rifle Association for years and a frequent guest at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Last month, he was added to a list of Russian nationals that have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.
"(Vladimir)" Putin and probably the Russian intelligence services saw [Torshin's connections] as something that they could leverage in the United States," Steve Hall, a retired CIA official and former head of Russia operations. "They reach to reach out to guy like Torshin and say, 'Hey, can you make contact with the NRA and some other conservatives... so that we can have connectivity from Moscow into those conservative parts of American politics should we need them?' And that's basically just wiring the United States for sound, if you will, in preparation for whatever they might need down the road."
Hall added, "I really do think the Russians are looking at being able to reach out to the right... to say, 'Hey, you know Russians actually share a lot of the same values.'
"You know, we don't like LGBT causes anymore than you conservatives on the right in the United States do, we are interested in engaging the NRA... the church plays an important role in Russia just as it should in the United States."
Rep. Ted. Lieu, D-Calif., said in a letter to NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre in March about allegations that Torshin "acted as a liaison" between Moscow and the NRA.
"Torshin’s influence in Russia and his relationship with the NRA suggest this allegation may have merit," Lieu wrote, according to ABC News. "It is deeply disturbing that an organization like the NRA, whose stated purposes and objective is to 'protect and defend the Constitution,' would meet with sanctioned individuals connected to a foreign adversary that seems determined to undermine elections."
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