If you’re wondering why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has continued to stand by a sinking Donald Trump even as the rest of the Republican Senate has increasingly begun trying to distance itself from Trump over the past weeks, the explanation may be simple: follow the money. The Dallas Morning News is now confirming a story which Palmer Report reported back in May, which involves Mitch McConnell and a few other Republicans having been caught taking Russian money.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting today that a Ukrainian-born, pro-Kremlin billionaire has funneled millions of dollars into the hands of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a few other top Republicans (link). This is the same story that Palmer Report first brought you back on May 24th (link). It’s unclear why the mainstream media has waited until now to jump on the bandwagon, but it does serve to highlight the issue at a time when there appears to be a split within the GOP with regard to the Russia-aligned Donald Trump.

As we reported back in May, Mitch McConnell took $2.5 million from the Russian oligarch in question during the 2016 election cycle – even though he wasn’t up for reelection. Wisconsin’s Republican Governor Scott Walker also took $1 million from the same Russian oligarch. Other Republicans received much smaller donations, in negligible amounts which would not have been expected to result in any real influence over them. McConnell is the only member of Congress who received a large enough donation from the oligarch to have translated into real political influence.

And so even as Republican Senators ranging from to Susan Collins to Lisa Murkowski to Lindsey Graham to Chuck Grassley to John McCain have taken various stances against Donald Trump over the past few weeks, it stands out that Mitch McConnell – despite being the Senate Republican leader – is still standing by Trump’s failed policies and refusing to criticize him. Because the Russian oligarch has dual U.S. citizenship, the $2.5 million donation may not have been illegal – but given McConnell’s behavior, it sure stands out as suspicious.