Recon campaigns awash in Russian money.

[onecaliberal]

Who knew that the result of Citizens United would be that American elections would be awash in Russian money?

All a hostile nation needs to do now is invest in an American corporation and they can flood democracy with anti-democracy malign influence.

Speaker Mike Johnson is being paid by 3 Russian Oligarchs via American Ethane.

Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev.

https://www.newsweek.com/house-speaker-mik

[yardwork]

1. The NRA was a pipeline for Russian money.

Which is one reason we're also awash in guns.

[mopinko]

2. their bankruptcy shd b interesting.

[RandomNumbers]

3. Good post, except Russia hasn't been communist

for quite some time now.

[Skittles]

4. curious why they're singling out Mikey

I bet every fucking repuke is on the Russia payroll.

[Emrys]

5. Nice backers, but in the past, not major sums, and penalized (tinily) for contravening electoral donation law

Konstantin Yuryevich Nikolaev ... is a Russian billionaire and businessman who is a financial supporter of Maria Butina, a co-owner of the Tula Cartridge Plant that supplies very large amounts of ammunition to Russian forces during Russia-Ukraine War, American Ethane, N-Trans and Globaltrans, the largest private rail operator in Russia, CIS, and the Baltic states. He is only under sanctions by Ukraine. According to the Forbes, in 2019 Nikolaev's net worth was estimated at $1.2 billion.

Through Igor Levitin, Alexey Mordashov, Arkady Rotenberg, Gennady Timchenko, and Alexander Voloshin, Nikolaev is a partner and close associate of numerous persons in Vladimir Putin's inner circle.
...
His son Andrey Nikolaev ... lived in the United States as a student at Columbia University in New York City during 2016 and was a volunteer at Donald Trump's headquarters during his Presidential Campaign in 2016. While at Columbia University, Andrey Nikolaev was very active as a leader in the university's Republican (GOP) community who met with Mike Cernovich.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Nikolaev

Only sanctioned by Ukraine, heavily involved in various Russian sanctions-busting initiatives since 2014.

Mikhail Yuryev died in 2019, so that info's out of date, and in the wrong tense anyway, as is the whole tweet, because Newsweek's only talking about donations to Johnson from 2018. He did found American Ethane with former Kremlin Chief of Staff Alexander Voloshin and was a major shareholder at the time of the donations.

Andrey Kunatbaev seems a relatively minor player compared to Nikolaev, having served in the Duma.

I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many other links involving Republicans once you go digging, such as this from 2019:

Former Trump campaign aides are now lobbying for a gas company part-owned by Putin's former chief of staff

* Former aides to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign have been hired to lobby for a Russian-owned ethane company.
* American Ethane Company is one of the largest gas companies of its kind, and is partially owned by multiple billionaires with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
* The lobbying group is called Turnberry Solutions, which shares a name with Trump's golf course in Scotland.

https://www.businessinsider.com/former-trump-campaign-aides-lobbying-for-gas-company-backed-by-russians-2019-2?r=US&IR=T

[live love laugh]

6. "Aid and comfort ...." is now a GOP strategy. The dark money

laws should not be acceptable where there is evidence of treason.

This should be investigated along with the others who are on the take.

[lindysalsagal]

7. Newsweek link is no good.

[dalton99a]

8. Mike Johnson's Campaign Contributions From Company Tied to Russia

https://www.newsweek.com/house-speaker-mike-johnson-donations-russia-butina-1838501
Mike Johnson's Campaign Contributions From Company Tied to Russia
Oct 27, 2023 at 8:20 AM EDT

A group of Russian nationals were able to donate to newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson's campaign in 2018 by funneling the money through a U.S. company.

The Texas-based American Ethane company previously donated tens of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Louisiana Republicans including Johnson, who was voted by the House to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker on Wednesday following three weeks of GOP chaos in the lower chamber.

While American Ethane was run in 2018 by American John Houghtaling, 88 percent of the firm was owned by three Russian nationals—Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev.

Johnson's previous Russian campaign donations have been brought up as people criticize the Republican following his election to House Speaker, a position which is second in line to the presidency behind the vice president.

...

[uponit7771]

9. How is this anywhere legal?!?!