The billionaire Russian mob oligarch “godfather” NRA Torshin blocked me tonight. Just goes to show that money and power cannot make a man secure in who he is. #OligarchSnowflake#WeakMan@torshin_ru
Ron Wyden seeks documents related to financial ties between NRA and Russia
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3/ The NRA issued a statement in opposition to Obama’s sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Crimea, on July 17, 2014: nraila.org/articles/20140…
4/ Torshin met Trump in 2010 and again in April 2015. Trump told Butina in July 2015 that Russia sanctions are not needed. “I know Putin. I get along nicely with Putin...I think we would get along very, vety well.” medium.com/@LaddEveritt/f…
5/ Today is #GunSenseDay — this thread is dedicated to the phenomenal students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, who demand reasonable gun safety laws. bbc.com/news/world-us-…
6/ The first question is: Are we horrified enough right now to take appropriate action to keep our children safe? thetrace.org/2018/02/florid…
7/ Yes, the Founders provided Second Amendment rights to US citizens, but did they anticipate the NRA? Citizens United? Assault weapons? Social media? How did we get here? thetrace.org/2016/12/gun-re…
9/ Did the Founders anticipate that one organization, funded in part by a hostile foreign government, would be able to purchase our democracy with $55 million?
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10/ Did the Founders anticipate an NRA which ignores US sanctions, while conducting its own “diplomacy” w a hostile foreign government? 18 mos after the March 2014, US govt sanction of Dmitry Rogozin—the @NRA sent a delegation to Moscow that met with him.
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11/ As deputy prime minister of Russia, Rogozin oversees the defense industry. Rogozin advocates cyberwarfare, which he applauds for its “first strike” capability. (2013 Rogozin article detailing Russia’s plans for intl cyber warfare: rg.ru/2013/06/28/dok… )
12/ Rogozin is the leader of the ultra-right party called Rodina, or Motherland—he believes in the restoration of the Russian Empire, including what he calls “Russian America” (i.e., Alaska). Rodina is a white nationalist pro-Putin party.
13/ Besides being openly opposed to 2014 US sanctions against Russia for invading Crimea, the NRA spent $30.3 million to elect Trump—more than even the top Trump super PAC, which spent just $20.3 million. opensecrets.org/news/2016/11/t…
14/ The NRA poured $50.2 million, or 96% of its total outside spending, into Trump and six Republican Senate candidates locked in highly competitive races, and lost only one — an open seat in Nevada, vacated by the Democratic Minority Leader, Harry Reid. (Id).
15/ Meanwhile, the citizens of America deal with the harsh reality of gun violence:
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16/ As the Russian-influenced NRA buys our politicians, citizens die:
17/ Let me interrupt this thread to say that I never felt strongly about gun control, one way or the other, until Sandy Hook. I was married to a police officer for 27-yrs. We had an extensive gun collection. We went to firing ranges on dates😑. Here is my oldest:
18/ My view on gun control has evolved—not from a place of political ideology (I was a Republican for 25 yrs), but from deep concern for our country’s well being and its children, and an honest recognition that a hostile foreign power is manipulating citizens with this issue.
19/ By manipulating citizens, I mean that the NRA pushes a distinct Kremlin narrative which is designed solely to divide Americans:
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20/ Like the Kremlin, the NRA has a vested interest in dividing Americans, in fostering fear, and in forwarding a violent narrative which tears at the very fabric of our society:
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21/ Fact is that because of gun violence—much of which is avoidable with sensible gun laws—Americans are dying
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23/ Obama already fought this battle, but the NRA owned GOP reversed Obama’s progress: fortune.com/2018/02/15/tru…
24/ The People have had enough bloodshed.
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25/ Mass gun violence is NOT a partisan issue, despite what the Kremlin narrative would have us believe.
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26/ The Kremlin-NRA complicit GOP must be brought to heel, and that includes @mike_pence@VP who loosened gun laws in Indiana, leading to avoidable gun deaths in nearby Chicago.
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27/ Nothing is sacred to the NRA—not even our religious faith—which it exploits in the name of profit.
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28/ The NRA has proved time and again that its loyalies are not to the US or to the Rule of Law in thr US. The People must contain the NRA infection.
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30/ The People can and will prevail over darkness, death and destruction.
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31/ The time has come to say “Enough Is Enough”. Neither the Kremlin nor the NRA have moral authority in spreading their blood money:
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32/ May not one more American child be led to the Kremlin-NRA slaughter
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33/ Oleg Deripaska (white arrows) was in Moscow NRA meeting w Sheriff Clarke (yellow arrow) (from @kelly2277 )
34/ The insidious infiltration by the Kremlin of the NRA is killing our children. Manafort laundered money for Deripaska, who, despite being banned from entry into the US, has been allowed in by Trump, time and time again:
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35/ The NRA is infected with “dark money”, which allows for it to funnel Kremlin money to influence our elections. This. Must. End.
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36/ @DLoesch is paid in excess of $80,000 per month to spread Kremlin narrative via the NRA. As you can see, her divisive narrative exceeds the scope of gun issues, and bleeds into Kremlin narrative designed to undermine our democratic institutions.
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37/ While Obama was trying to strengthen background checks, Trump was meeting with Russian mob godfather NRA Torshin, who in 2016 funneled dark money through the NRA to destabilize our democracy and kill our children.
38/ The blood of every child slaughtered by needless gun violence is on the hands of the Kremlin and its American surrogates, including the NRA, which is complicit with Russia in manipulating Americans:
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39/ Now is the time to rise up for our children and hold fully accountable the NRA and its surrogates, who cannot be trusted with our democracy:
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40/ While the Second Amendment guarantees our rights, we can no longer trust the Kremlin-infested NRA to guard rights we hold sacred:
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41/ The Kremlin-NRA actively engaged in gaslighting American citizens after a horrific gun tragedy. It is time to join with the Parkland, FL students and say “no!” to the madness.
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42/ Lip service is insufficient. Trump’s proposed bump stock ban should have been implemented after the Vegas shootings & is smoke in mirrors as to Parkland shootings, which was committed by a radicalized Trump supporter who lawfully purchased an AR-15. bbc.com/news/world-us-…
43/ We cannot resolve our NRA problem without resolving our GOP/Trump Kremlin problem.
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44/ The Kremlin and NRA are inextricably bound and both have a death grip on Trump and the GOP.
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45/ The Kremlin-NRA @GOP infestation is unlawful and deadly to every American citizen.
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46/ The Kremlin-NRA GOP/Trump plague is a threat to our children and to our national security.
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47/ The Kremlin-NRA virus is also infecting state and local politics, to the detriment of our children.
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48/ So long as the Kremlin-NRA is the guardian of our Second Amendment rights, our children will continue to die from avoidable gun violence.
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49/ So long as the Kremlin-NRA is the guardian of our Second Amendment rights, our very existence as a free democracy is in jeopardy.
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50/ Our children deserve better. We can do better. We, The People, not the Kremlin-NRA, are the guardians of the Second Amendment. We, The People, shall determine its reach, when balanced against the safety of our children.
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51/ We, The People, say “NO” to the Kremlin-NRA, its dark money and its blood-stained overtures to our democracy.
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52/ We, The People, stand with the survivors of gun violence and legitimate democratic institutions.
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53/ We, The People, reject the Kremlin-NRA blood money, in the name of the innocent babies of Sandy Hook
54/ We, The People, on behalf of all victims of avoidable gun violence, say, “Enough is enough.”
55/ We, The People, demand change from our elected officials. If you accept NRA blood money, you WILL be replaced at the ballot box. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
57/ If you have climbed into bed with the NRA-Kremlin, now is your chance to renounce your holy alliance. If you fail the American people in that endeavor, you will lose. We, The People, shall prevail. nytimes.com/2018/02/15/opi…
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59/ Correction to paragraph 33 of this thread. After reviewing the photo from @kelly2277, I do not think that is Deripaska under the white arrow at the Moscow NRA meeting with Torshin and Rogozin. The attendees are properly identified in the photo in paragraph 50 of this thread
60/ Wayne Lapierre spoke at CPAC today on behalf of the NRA. He furthered a Kremlin narrative attack on our democratic institutions by attacking the FBI.
61/ LaPierre disparaged "elites" and "the privileged" and "the powerful" at CPAC, despite that his NRA compensation exceeds $5 million annually.
62/ Clearly since 1999, LaPierre has become a radicalized white male.
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64/ In true Kremlin form, NRA LaPierre attacked the American people, the American family, American schools and those with differing political views. #ActiveMeasuresnpr.org/2018/02/22/587…
Senator Collins is waning on about interest groups against Kavanaugh but IGNORES dark money interest groups in support of Kavanaugh.
Senator Collins references Kavanaugh’s judicial record. She disagrees w notion he will eliminate ACA protections, pointing to his dissent in Holder. She argues that his views on severability is narrow.
She addresses the concern about Kavanaugh protecting the POTUS. She argues that Kavanaugh defers to legislative authority. She argues Clinton got 2 justices confirmed while under Whitewater investigation and 3 Nixon appointees ruled against Nixon ruled against Nixon.
1/ Here is what really bothers me about Kavanaugh: he feels he deserves everything he has and will have because he has earned it. This is a uniquely Calvinist-origin ideology. It is also precisely one of the things which **theologically** distinguishes Catholics from Protestants.
2/ The implications are enormous if one considers the reverse scenario: those to whom life has brought hardship are unworthy, lazy, and have not “earned” their way. Protestant-Calvinist thinking is deeply entrenched in American culture, especially at Yale. christianity.com/church/denomin…
3/ If Kavanaugh adhered to Catholic teaching, he would have by this age internalized that it is mandatory we give a preferential option to the poor. He would practice the Corporal Works of Mercy. He would NOT insist that his success is due to his own merit or worth.
A new article discussing Deripaska, Steele, Waldman, and Assange by @IgnatiusPost requires some serious unpacking. Christopher Steele worked for Deripaska in 2012. (washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-gop…)
Deripaska was interviewed by the FBI in 2015, 2016, and possibly in 2017.
In 2009, while Mueller was FBI Director, the FBI conducted a covert outreach to Deripaska to locate missing CIA contractor Robert Levinson. (I believe this was accomplished through John McCain).
), and dissect the “Kavanaugh Catholic” — with the caveat I, too am a Catholic.
2/ First, we all witnessed Kavanaugh last night make several public pronouncements, to wit:
“I was a virgin.”
“I was busy studying.”
“I was the Captain of my football team.”
“I have never sexually assaulted anyone, ever.”
3/ Kavanaugh had his wife by his side, who vouched for him throughout. He also claimed to have spent his career as a champion for women and women’s issues. Neither Kavanaugh nor his wife (whom he met after high school) addressed the bevy of mounting evidence against him.
In accordance w the Violence Against Women & Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2013 (“VAWA 2013”), officers and/or investigators may not require victims of sexual assault to submit to a polygraph test or other truth-telling devices.
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE SEXUAL ASSAULT RESPONSE
POLICY AND TRAINING CONTENT GUIDELINES — The Senate Judiciary Committee is doing everything WRONG.
The unwarranted exertion of control by @ChuckGrassley over a putative sexual assault victim violates every single guideline recommendation of the Intl Assoc of Chiefs of Police.