Friday, March 29, 2024

Putin-Linked Lobbyist Donated Over $500K to Democrats, Earned Cash from Russian State Investment Fund.

A former Managing Trustee of the Democratic National Committee lobbied on behalf of the Russian government’s international investment fund which was recently sanctioned by the United States, The National Pulse can reveal.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) – a sovereign wealth fund established while Vladimir Putin was Prime Minister – was the recent target of sanctions from the Biden White House following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Despite the Biden regime’s move to sanction the fund, The National Pulse can reveal that RDIF previously retained former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Managing Trustee John Raffaelli as its American representative, according to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings.

Broadly described as “government relations consulting services,” 2014 documents filed with the Department of Justice detail the scope of Raffaelli’s work for the Russian government-backed firm. Raffaelli’s firm Capitol Counsel would “educate and explain” to American officials RDIF’s “role and relationship with United States partners and investors” as well as liaise with the Treasury Department on behalf of the fund.

Much of the work, which included a $45,000 per month retainer fee, appeared to be focused on sanctions.

Federal election records also reveal that Raffaelli has donated hundreds of times to Democratic campaigns, including to candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, totaling over $500,000.

“Campaign work includes: 1992 Clinton for President campaign; 1996 Clinton-Gore national finance committee; and Vice Chair of the Kerry for President campaign national finance committee,” notes the lobbyist’s professional bio.

“The Secretary of Treasury will also be imposing full blocking sanctions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund–a state owned financial entity that functions as a sovereign wealth fund, which is supposed to attract capital into the Russian economy in high-growth sectors,” explained White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Twitter.

The Treasury Department also noted that the fund is run by a “known Putin ally,” before adding that the Russian President “and his inner circle of cronies have long relied on RDIF and Dmitriev to raise funds abroad, including in the United States.”

Despite the financial tie between a high-profile Democrat lobbyist and Russia’s top investment fund, Democrats and their mainstream media counterparts continue to push the debunked narrative that the Trump administration colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.

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