CSNbbs

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/764879242...rt-reveals

The National Rifle Association acted as a "foreign asset" for Russia in the period leading up to the 2016 election, according to a new investigation unveiled Friday by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Drawing on contemporaneous emails and private interviews, an 18-month probe by the Senate Finance Committee's Democratic staff found that the NRA underwrote political access for Russian nationals Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin more than previously known — even though the two had declared their ties to the Kremlin.

Then-NRA vice president Pete Brownell, who would later become NRA president, was enticed to visit Russia with the promise of personal business opportunities — and the NRA covered a portion of the trip's costs.

Tax-exempt organizations are barred from using funds for the personal benefit of its officials or for actions significantly outside their stated missions. The revelations in the Senate report raise questions about whether the NRA could face civil penalties or lose its tax-exempt status.

So this next week is gun violence, NRA, and "Muh Russia".. Got it.

Halfway through the report:

Majority response: This is overblown

The Republican majority on the Senate Finance Committee, which was consulted periodically throughout the Democrats' investigation, said Friday the report was overblown.

In the Republicans' analysis of Wyden's report, the majority argued that it does not account for U.S.-Russia relations at the time and contains "much conclusory innuendo... and repeatedly attempts to paint a picture that does not exist."

The Republicans also argued that if the NRA committed any infractions, they would be small and do not put the NRA's tax-exempt status at risk.

"To the extent NRA funds were used improperly in any facts discussed in the [Democratic report led by Wyden], it appears to have been minor, hardly a rounding error for an organization with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year and nothing that cannot be corrected with minor intermediate sanctions," the Republican analysis states.

Give me a break, you can't be this gullible.

(09-27-2019 11:47 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]So this next week is gun violence, NRA, and "Muh Russia".. Got it.

It's always climate control first and foremost for me personally. I've got some juicy new links there but I've held off on those for now.

(09-27-2019 11:50 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]Halfway through the report:

Majority response: This is overblown

The Republican majority on the Senate Finance Committee, which was consulted periodically throughout the Democrats' investigation, said Friday the report was overblown.

In the Republicans' analysis of Wyden's report, the majority argued that it does not account for U.S.-Russia relations at the time and contains "much conclusory innuendo... and repeatedly attempts to paint a picture that does not exist."

The Republicans also argued that if the NRA committed any infractions, they would be small and do not put the NRA's tax-exempt status at risk.

"To the extent NRA funds were used improperly in any facts discussed in the [Democratic report led by Wyden], it appears to have been minor, hardly a rounding error for an organization with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year and nothing that cannot be corrected with minor intermediate sanctions," the Republican analysis states.

Okay got it, you're in favor of sanctions against the NRA (in lieu of losing its tax-exempt status). I'm glad you're at least able to agree that the NRA should be held responsible for its actions.

(09-27-2019 11:57 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote: [ -> ]Give me a break, you can't be this gullible.

Are you referring to the Democratic Senators who wrote this report, or NPR for writing this story? Nothing in my original post was my own words - it was all directly linked from the NPR story.

TDS is real

(09-27-2019 12:01 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2019 11:47 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]So this next week is gun violence, NRA, and "Muh Russia".. Got it.

It's always climate control first and foremost for me personally. I've got some juicy new links there but I've held off on those for now.

(09-27-2019 11:50 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]Halfway through the report:

Majority response: This is overblown

The Republican majority on the Senate Finance Committee, which was consulted periodically throughout the Democrats' investigation, said Friday the report was overblown.

In the Republicans' analysis of Wyden's report, the majority argued that it does not account for U.S.-Russia relations at the time and contains "much conclusory innuendo... and repeatedly attempts to paint a picture that does not exist."

The Republicans also argued that if the NRA committed any infractions, they would be small and do not put the NRA's tax-exempt status at risk.

"To the extent NRA funds were used improperly in any facts discussed in the [Democratic report led by Wyden], it appears to have been minor, hardly a rounding error for an organization with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year and nothing that cannot be corrected with minor intermediate sanctions," the Republican analysis states.

Okay got it, you're in favor of sanctions against the NRA (in lieu of losing its tax-exempt status). I'm glad you're at least able to agree that the NRA should be held responsible for its actions.

(09-27-2019 11:57 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote: [ -> ]Give me a break, you can't be this gullible.

Are you referring to the Democratic Senators who wrote this report, or NPR for writing this story? Nothing in my original post was my own words - it was all directly linked from the NPR story.

What the majority is saying is that nothing was done, it was all innuendo from the senator leading the charge.. Reading is fundamental. So far the only one covering this is NPR which means it probably doesn't have legs.

(09-27-2019 11:45 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: [ -> ]according to a new investigation unveiled Friday by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Well, if Ron Wyden said so, and if NPR reported it, then I suppose it might possibly have a germ of truth to it. But it would take a lot more to convince me.

(09-27-2019 11:47 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]So this next week is gun violence, NRA, and "Muh Russia".. Got it.

It never stops. These people need a hobby besides this.

It's times like this I sorta wish that these imbecilic hoplophobes would get their wish and the NRA would go away, because they think that if the NRA goes away then so does the gun rights lobby.

What they fail to realize is the people who donate to the NRA will simply start donating to someone else who supports gun rights. Like the GOA.

If they hate the NRA wait till they have to deal with the GOA on a regular basis.

(09-27-2019 11:57 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote: [ -> ]Give me a break, you can't be this gullible.

The talking points are in. I guess this means we're moving on from the fake whistleblower news to the fake nra news.

OH MUH RUSSIA!

Clown World folks..

Honk honk

Remember that game kids used to play choking themselves out?

How many times y'all reckon FBO played that game?

(09-27-2019 12:01 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: [ -> ]

(09-27-2019 11:47 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]So this next week is gun violence, NRA, and "Muh Russia".. Got it.

It's always climate control first and foremost for me personally. I've got some juicy new links there but I've held off on those for now.

(09-27-2019 11:50 AM)gdunn Wrote: [ -> ]Halfway through the report:

Majority response: This is overblown

The Republican majority on the Senate Finance Committee, which was consulted periodically throughout the Democrats' investigation, said Friday the report was overblown.

In the Republicans' analysis of Wyden's report, the majority argued that it does not account for U.S.-Russia relations at the time and contains "much conclusory innuendo... and repeatedly attempts to paint a picture that does not exist."

The Republicans also argued that if the NRA committed any infractions, they would be small and do not put the NRA's tax-exempt status at risk.

"To the extent NRA funds were used improperly in any facts discussed in the [Democratic report led by Wyden], it appears to have been minor, hardly a rounding error for an organization with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year and nothing that cannot be corrected with minor intermediate sanctions," the Republican analysis states.

Okay got it, you're in favor of sanctions against the NRA (in lieu of losing its tax-exempt status). I'm glad you're at least able to agree that the NRA should be held responsible for its actions.

(09-27-2019 11:57 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote: [ -> ]Give me a break, you can't be this gullible.

Are you referring to the Democratic Senators who wrote this report, or NPR for writing this story? Nothing in my original post was my own words - it was all directly linked from the NPR story.

And you wouldn't have posted it if you didn't think it was credible.

I'm 100 percent in favor of stripping away the NRA's tax-exempt status. And just to be clear, you can strip away tax-exempt status from a ton of other groups that dabble in politics on the side as far as I am concerned too - Planned Parenthood for example.

As far as I understand, the main thing that would happen by losing that tax-exempt status would be the NRA would have to pay taxes on the money it raises and earns. Why not do the right thing - like the NFL did a few years back - and just give up its tax-exempt status?

(09-27-2019 06:18 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote: [ -> ]I'm 100 percent in favor of stripping away the NRA's tax-exempt status. And just to be clear, you can strip away tax-exempt status from a ton of other groups that dabble in politics on the side as far as I am concerned too - Planned Parenthood for example.

If the exemption was revoked on a truly non-political basis, I’d be with you on this. As it stands, I have no confidence that would be the case.

(09-27-2019 11:57 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote: [ -> ]Give me a break, you can't be this gullible.

The Republican party is a Russian asset.