A reminder, Wisconsin plays big with NRA-Russia-GOP laundering and favor-trading

When the Mueller Report dropped earlier this year, I wrote a sizable piece showcasing all of the connections that the Trump-Russia-NRA axis had to Wisconsin. This included this memorable tweet from a now in-hiding David Clarke.

Red Square near the Kremlin with a Russian officer. Met earlier with Russian Foreign Minister who spoke on Mid East. pic.twitter.com/ZcDdQB65lb

— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) December 10, 2015

We also knew that now-convicted Russian spy Maria Butina and Russian oligarch Alexander Torshin were hanging out with Scott Walker at the NRA convention in early 2015. Why do I bring this up again today?

BREAKING: A new Senate report reveals that the @NRA was a 'foreign asset' to Russia ahead of 2016, promising access to U.S. officials in exchange for Russian business. https://t.co/hOai6sBXzB

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) September 27, 2019

Here's a news summary of the report, which came as part of an investigation set up by Sen. Ron Wyden.

The report indicates that top NRA officials were aware of Butina's and Torshin's links with the Kremlin even as they sought to work more closely together under the banner of gun rights.

In an email later circulated to two senior NRA staff members, Butina wrote that a purpose of the 2015 Moscow trip was that "many powerful figures in the Kremlin are counting on Torshin to prove his American connections" by showing he could bring prominent NRA officials to Russia....

It was a explicit interest expressed by Butina: In one 2015 email to an NRA employee, Butina wrote, "is there a list of U.S. governors or members of Congress that might be present at some time during the [NRA] annual meeting?"

The employee responded with a list.

The NRA also helped them forge connections with groups such as the Council for National Policy, the National Prayer Breakfast, the National Sporting Goods Wholesalers Association and Safari Club International.

"NRA resources appear to have been used to pay for membership and registration fees to third party events for [Torshin and Butina] as well as to arrange for transit to and lodging for many of those events throughout 2015 and 2016," the report states.

Wow. Seems like something Senate Homeland Security Chair Ron Johnson should be looking at, especially with this week's revelations of how President Trump was shaking down Ukraine (and others?) to have them help his electoral prospects in exchange for US tax dollars in aid.

But RoJo doesn't seem too interested, and is instead concentrating on - Joe Biden, Biden's family, and Hillary Clinton?

One early divide among Senate Republicans is between the “Burr camp” and the “Johnson camp,” according to two senior GOP aides who were not authorized to speak publicly, referring to Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Burr’s faction of the Senate GOP has a darker, frustrated view of Trump’s handling of Ukraine, while Johnson has linked the Ukraine issue to his committee’s work into reviewing the launch of the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails while serving as secretary of state.

During a closed-door Senate Republican lunch Tuesday, both Burr and Johnson underscored their own position in conversation with colleagues, who asked them whether their respective committees would launch investigations of Biden.

Huh. It's almost like Ron Johnson is (ab)using his power as a committee chair to avoid talking about how President Trump is compromising American interests and intelligence through his corrupt dealings with foreigners. Why would he want to avoid that.

You don't think it has something to do with Ron Johnson being a major recipient of possible illegal GOP/NRA coordination in his 2016 election, do ya? Or that RoJo is more than fine with the same type of money-laundering and propagandizing of Wisconsinites happenijng in 2020 and 2022 as long as it helps him, Donald Trump, and the rest of the GOP? NAAWWWWW!!