ORRIN HATCH. UTAH, CHAIRMAN

CHUCK GRASSLEY, IOWA RON WYDEN, OREGON

MIKE CRAPO, IDAHO DEBBIE STABENOW, MICHIGAN

PAT ROBERTS, KANSAS MARIA CANTWELL, WASHINGTON

MICHAEL ENZI, WYOMING BILL NELSON, FLORIDA

JOHN CORNYN. TEXAS ROBERT NEW JERSEY

JOHN THUNE, SOUTH DAKOTA THOMAS CARPER, DELAWARE 

RICHARD BURR, NORTH CAROLINA BENJAMIN CARDIN, MARYLAND tE tat?g Knat?
JOHNNY ISAKSON, GEORGIA SHERROD BROWN, OHIO

ROB PORTMAN, OHIO MICHAEL BENNET, COLORADO

PATRICK TOOMEY, ROBERT CASEY, JR 

DEAN HELLER, NEVADA MARK WARNER, VIRGINIA COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

TIM SOUTH CAROLINA CLAIRE MISSOURI

BILL CASSIDY. LOUISIANA SHELDON WHITEHOUSE. RHODE ISLAND WASHINGTON. DC 20510?6200

A JAY KHOSLA. STAFF DIRECTOR
JOSHUA SHEINKMAN, DEMOCRATIC STAFF DIRECTOR

February 2, 2018

Wilson H. Phillips, Jr.

Treasurer

National Ri?e Association of America
11250 Waples Mill Road

Fairfax, VA 22030

To Mr. Wilson H. Phillips, Jr.,

The Senate Finance Committee is charged with administration of matters relating to taxation,
including oversight of tax exempt organizations. I write to you today as the committee?s ranking
member with concerns about recent news reports indicating that your organization could have
been used by Russian individuals and/or entities to funnel foreign contributions into the 2016
election. According to these news reports, the FBI is investigating whether Alexander Torshin, a
Russian official with Close ties to President Vladimir Putin?who has reported links to money
laundering?inappropriately and illegally in?uenced our election.i

I am specifically troubled by the possibility that Russian?backed shell companies or
intermediaries may have circumvented laws designed to prohibit foreign meddling in our
elections by abusing the rules governing 501(c)(4) tax exempt organizations. To aid in my
oversight responsibilities, please provide, at a minimum, preliminary responses to the following
questions no later than February 16, 2018:

a) Please identify any remuneration, transaction, or contribution that involved any of the
501(c)(4) entities associated with your organization and any entity or individual
associated with any Russian of?cial, Russian national, or Russian business interest,
including their agents, representatives, or intermediaries.

b) Please identify any policies or procedures your organization has implemented to ensure
that funds from foreign sources are not used to in?uence US. elections.

c) Please provide all documents related to any remuneration, transaction, or contribution in
including but not limited to any account statements, deposit slips, cancelled checks,
credit card statements, wire transfer slips, real estate ownership documentation and
associated securitized debt.

d) Please identify any documents under which have already been turned over to United
States authorities.

If you have any questions please contact Committee staf t' at (202) 224-4515. Thank you for your

swift attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Ron den
United States Senator

 

investigating Whether Russian Money Went To NRA To Hetp Trump; McClatchv, January 13, 2018;