The NRA is deeply embroiled in a scandal that might finally end up destroying the organization down to its bloodsoaked roots. Earlier today, Russian national Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States.
An alleged spy for Vladimir Putin’s cryptocriminal regime, Butina, infiltrated the National Rifle Association in an effort to influence its members and leaders to be more sympathetic towards the geopolitical objectives of the Russian Federation. At one point, she even met the NRA’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.
Butina sought connections with the Republican Party and worked to build a web of political influence to aid her masters back in Moscow. She shilled for better relations between the USA and Russia during the 2016 election and attended a Trump event where she asked him a question on camera. She even hosted a birthday party that was attended by Trump aides.
While the full details of her plea deal are yet to be revealed, it’s undeniably a bad sign for the embattled NRA, which can hardly afford any more controversies. It’s unclear how aware its members were of Butina’s spying efforts or what their full entanglements were, but the full story will certainly emerge in the coming days.
Now, David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting and gun control activist, has taken to Twitter to troll the NRA over the news.
Tagging NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, he tweeted “Thoughts and prayers,” invoking the inane sentiment voiced by conservatives after a shooting in order to sidestep taking any kind of substantive action to prevent future violence. It was a short but brilliant shot at an organization that has defended rampant gun proliferation even as innocent people die in droves from avoidable violence.
Hogg has been a target of the NRA since he first came out for gun law reform, and it looks like he might end up getting the last laugh in the end.
Thoughts and prayers @DLoesch https://t.co/SIF18ZbI3Y
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) December 13, 2018
