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From the department of Overlooked News:
NRA'S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS IS IN DANGER AS DONORS REVOLT
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One NRA donor has taken it upon himself to launch a grassroots campaign to root out what he calls malfeasance on behalf of the group's leadership. David Dell'Aquila, who has donated around $100,000 to the NRA over the past four years, filed what could be certified as a class-action lawsuit against the organization, citing previous reporting as evidence of fraud and misconduct.
Dell'Aquila also sent letters to the New York State attorney general, the Washington, D.C., attorney general—which has opened its own inquiry—and the NRA's board of directors, urging all three to take the reported financial misconduct at the NRA seriously.
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"I am not impressed in the least with your letters encouraging state Attorneys General [offices] in their efforts to put the NRA out of business," Barr wrote to Dell'Aquila. "I find this aspect of your endeavors — regardless of merits your other efforts may or not have — to be utterly inconsistent with your statements about working to strengthen the Association."
[Board Member Bob] Barr also accused Dell'Aquila—who, until recently, was set to donate 75 percent of his estate to the NRA upon his death—of having "destroyed any credibility" he claimed was motivated by the NRA's best interests.
Dell'Aquila's lawsuit calls for the NRA to return millions of dollars in donations he alleges were fraudulently obtained, and part of his campaign involves the removal of the organization's embattled CEO, Wayne LaPierre, who is named as a respondent in the lawsuit. [...]
"Once this class action lawsuit is certified by the Federal Court, the NRA members will have their opportunity to finally obtain transparency into the payments made to vendors and more importantly, to discover how the NRA actually spent the members' money," Dell'Aquila said in a written statement. "At this time, there is an appearance that such money has been spent on expenses unrelated to the core NRA mission."
If the class action claim is allowed to proceed, potentially millions of donors could be eligible to receive some form of reimbursement if the suit is ultimately resolved in their favor.
Before his falling out with NRA leadership, Dell'Aquila had been a generous benefactor to the nonprofit, providing around $100,000 worth of donations since 2015. He had also planned, until recently, to donate 75 percent of his estate to the NRA upon his death.
Dell'Aquila's lawsuit recounts reporting that revealed an internal struggle between LaPierre and the group's former president, Lt. Col. Oliver North. North had reportedly begun to investigate the group's finances after learning of allegations of financial misdeeds levied against LaPierre. [...]
www.newsweek.com — 8/8/19
It’s by far the most the gun group has ever spent.
Last year [2016], the NRA, which is registered as a nonprofit, spent nearly $140 million on legislative programs and public affairs, an increase of about $75 million overall from 2015. These categories are not itemized further in the financial report, but they likely encompass the lobbying efforts and campaign contributions that have become a cornerstone of the NRA’s political power.
This $140 million figure includes a $30 million investment in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as well as at least $20 million more to help GOP Senate candidates ― though recent reports suggest spending on congressional races may have been significantly higher. As the Center for Responsive Politics notes, much of that funding came in the form of “dark money” disbursed by the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that is not required to disclose its donors.
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At the same time, revenue from members’ dues remained stable, shrinking slightly from $165 million to $163 million. General contributions shot up sharply, however, rising from $96.6 million in 2015 to $127.8 million in 2016 — around one-third of the NRA’s $378 million in annual revenue. The NRA’s nonprofit status exempts it from limits on individual and corporate donations, and it is not required to list who contributed or how much.
www.issueone.org
The National Rifle Association is one of the top 15 dark money groups examined by Issue One’s new “Dark Money Illuminated” report that has been spending millions of dollars in our elections since Citizens United without publicly disclosing their donors. Dark money groups frequently operate as attack dogs during campaigns, criticizing candidates from the shadows. Dark money groups also often push the envelope in terms of how much political spending they can engage in without running afoul of rules that prohibit them from existing primarily to influence elections. By masquerading as a trade association or “social welfare” nonprofit, dark money groups avoid the mandatory donor disclosure rules that would come with registering as a political committee whose primary purpose is to influence elections.
Here’s what Issue One’s year-long “Dark Money Illuminated” investigation revealed:
The National Rifle Association raised
$2.1 billion
between January 2010 and December 2016.
Issue One identified
37
donors to this dark money group.
These donors collectively accounted for
7%
of its funding.
Issue One found 10 donors that gave at least $1 million since January 2010:
NRA Foundation: $110 million
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.: $12 million
Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce: $8.4 million
American Encore (formerly Center to Protect Patient Rights): $3.2 million
American Future Fund: $3 million
American Action Network: $2.7 million
MidwayUSA and its owners Larry and Brenda Potterfield: $2.1 million
Smith & Wesson Corp.: $1.6 million
Judicial Crisis Network: $1 million
Pierce Bullet Seal Target Systems: $1 million
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The National Rifle Association self-reported to the IRS that 2% of its total spending was related to political campaign activities.
www.factcheck.org
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The NRA has a political action committee — the National Rifle Association of America Political Victory Fund, or NRA-PVF — registered with the Federal Election Commission. As a PAC, the NRA-PVF is subject to spending and contribution limits. It can contribute up to $5,000 per election ($10,000 per campaign cycle) to a federal candidate, and it can accept no more than $5,000 per year from each individual donor.
However, the NRA paid nearly $5.5 million of the PAC’s “fundraising and administrative expenses” in 2016, according to the NRA’s 2016 990 IRS form. As a nonprofit, the NRA does not have to disclose its donors.
In 2016, the NRA-PVF spent more than $22 million — mostly on independent expenditures, such as TV ads that call for the victory or defeat of specific candidates. It made $19.2 million in independent expenditures in 2016, FEC records show. That included nearly $7.5 million against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and about $1.9 million in support of her opponent, Donald Trump, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The NRA-PVF also made more than $1 million in contributions to party committees and federal candidates.
The NRA also makes independent expenditures through its lobbying arm, the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, or NRA-ILA, which is not required to disclose donors.
In 2016, the NRA-ILA made $33.3 million in independent expenditures — including $12.3 million against Clinton and $8.8 million for Trump, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
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In fall 2013, [NRA President David] Keene traveled to Moscow at their invitation for a meeting of about 200 gun-rights advocates hosted by The Right to Bear Arms, a fledgling group Butina had set up in 2011. In a video recorded during the event, Butina introduces Keene, who thanks her by her first name as he takes the podium. Keene then begins an eight-minute speech to the group with comments about his warm ongoing relationship with Torshin, who was sanctioned by the Treasury Department this April and has been accused of mob ties and money laundering by the Spanish government. (Torshin denies those allegations.)
www.motherjones.com — July 20, 2018
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Same as it ever was …
Follow The Money.
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