Endangered Republican Falsely Claims He Hasn't Taken NRA Money Recently
Endangered Republican Falsely Claims He Hasnt Taken NRA Money Recently
The NRA has donated to Rep. Steve Knight three times this cycle.
Kara Voght
September 18, 2018 5:18 PM
An endangered Republican congressman from Southern California wasnt telling the truth last month when he claimed that he hadnt received any recent donations from the National Rifle Association, federal campaign finance records reveal.
During an August 23 episode of Talk of Santa Clarita, a local politics podcast, Rep. Steve Knight was asked if hed taken any funds from the NRA recently. Knightwho represents suburban Los Angeles Countyreplied, No. When the host followed up to specifically ask if Knight had declined any money from the NRA, Knight said, Well, we just havent taken any funds from the NRA lately.
But according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, the NRAs political action committee has made three donations to Knights campaign this election cycle: $1,000 in July 2017, $1,500 in May 2018, and $2,500 in July 2018. Both the NRA and the Knight campaign reported the 2017 contribution to the FEC. The 2018 contributions currently appear in the NRAs FEC filings but not in Knights filingsperhaps because campaigns are required file quarterly, while PACs must file their contributions monthly. There is no indication in the FEC records that Knights campaign rejected or returned any of the NRA money. Neither the NRA nor Knights campaign returned requests for comment.
Its unclear why Knighta vocal gun rights advocate who has consistently received A ratings from the NRAwould want voters to believe that he doesnt take money from the group. But his statements come at a time when survivors of the Parkland school shooting have made it their mission to vote out of office any lawmakers who accept NRA donations. The Parkland teens and their allies have put particular pressure on NRA-backed Republican incumbents in suburban districts like Knights, where anti-gun-control views seem increasingly out-of-step voters desires. Knights Democratic challenger, Katie Hill, has also criticized him for accepting NRA cash.
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https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/09/steve-knight-nra-parkland-katie-hill/