Nashville lawyer who introduced Russian operative to the NRA has ties to Blackburn

Amid ongoing probes into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, one Nashville attorney is gaining notice for his relationship to a Russian banker with Kremlin ties.

G. Kline Preston, IV, a graduate of the Nashville School of Law, has authored books about Russian regulations, and has represented clients in Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Cuba and England.

Among Preston's Russian clients and longtime friends is Alexander Torshin, a prominent Russian politician who has close ties to President Vladimir Putin. Torshin is under scrutiny for illegally channeling Russian funds to the National Rifle Association in an effort to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Preston first introduced Torshin to then-president of the NRA David Keene in 2011 and the pair attended the NRA's annual convention in Nashville in 2015.

Among Preston's U.S. clients: Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn and her son-in-law, Paul Ketchel, a Nashville healthcare entrepreneur.

In 2005, Preston represented Blackburn when she was facing allegations of possible campaign finance violations. He also provided legal services to her campaign in 2007, according to federal filings.

Preston's wife, Tiffany, worked for the Blackburn campaign, earning $25,100 between 2004 and 2006 for administrative work, according records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

A spokeswoman for Blackburn, a Brentwood Republican, declined to answer specific questions about Preston's work for the campaign or his relationship with her or her family members, instead issuing a statement that said:

"Congressman Blackburn believes Russia is not our friend - and thinks we need to treat Russia like any bully: we need to be strong enough to prevent them from pushing the United States and our allies around, and we need to draw firm lines and show them that America is not to be trifled with."

In a telephone interview from Moscow, where Preston served as an independent observer of their national elections on Sunday, Preston told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee his relationship with Blackburn was "close."

"We're family friends," he said Friday. "Long time. My spouse is friends with the Congresswoman and her daughter."

Preston, 51, said he remains a supporter of Blackburn, who is running for the U.S. Senate. Between 2002 to 2006, Preston contributed $2,800 to the Blackburn campaign, according to FEC records.

Ties to Torshin

Preston's relationship with Torshin has been highlighted in recent weeks as both the FBI and Democratic senators began probing Torshin's relationship with the NRA. Torshin is a lifetime member.

Preston told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee that he and Torshin have also been close - friends for at least a decade. The two share a strong interest in gun rights.

When Torshin came to Nashville to attend the 2015 NRA convention, the pair enjoyed an evening at an Alan Jackson concert, Preston said.

Preston said he provided legal advice on Russian law to Torshin, a former member of the Russian parliament, including ongoing work on crafting gun legislation that Preston described as "the right to bear arms for personal protections in Russia."

Preston called the allegations that Torshin tried to influence the U.S. election by funneling campaign funding through the NRA "probably false."

"Senator Torshin had and has a legitimate interest in the NRA and he's not anti-American in any way," Preston said. "He was a member even when Obama was elected last time."

But Preston declined to say whether he has discussed the allegations with Torshin.

"I'm not going to discuss any conversations I've had with Senator Torshin, because he's a client," he said.

Preston also dismissed the suggestion that Russians interfered in U.S. elections, calling it "a witch hunt." President Donald Trump has also called it a witch hunt.

Torshin has been to Nashville on at least one other occasion.

In 2012, Preston invited Torshin to serve as an international observer at the national general election in Nashville.

The Washington Post reported that Preston said he and Torshin observed violations of U.S. election law, including pro-Obama signs posted too close to a polling place.

Preston served as an international observer of the 2011 legislative elections in Russia. that led to mass street protests over electoral irregularities. Preston told a Russian television interviewer the voting system was "impressive" and "very well organized."

Both Preston and Torshin are prolific Twitter users. Preston's Twitter feed, under the name @gittinpaid, is populated by retweets from the Marsha Blackburn campaign, photos of Russian President Vladmir Putin and anniversaries in the history of the Southern Confederacy. He frequently posts stories in Russian media about President Donald Trump.

On Nov. 10, 2016 he tweeted in Russian: "Donald Trump has won and now the relationship between Russia and America will be great!! Goodbye Witch Hillary!!"

Twitter translation: Donald Trump has won and now the relationship between Russia and America will be great!! Goodbye Witch Hillary!!

His tweets also includes frequent, and sometimes cryptic, exchanges with Torshin.

On May 25, 2015 Preston tweeted two punctuation marks - a comma and an exclamation point, separated by a space.

Torshin responded in Russian "Who as, and I understood correctly."

In August, 2015, Preston tweeted a picture of Trump speaking at the National Federation of Republican Assemblies in Nashville, writing in Russian: "Donald Trump today in Nashville. He is a friend of Russia."

Twitter translation: Donald Trump today in Nashville. He is a friend of Russia.

In the USA TODAY TENNESSEE - Network interview, Preston said he introduced Torshin to David Keene, the former NRA head because of Torshin's longstanding interest in gun rights.

"He was interested in the NRA so I hooked him up." Preston said. "He wanted to learn from the best and that's the NRA when it comes to gun rights."

The pair also attended the 2015 NRA convention in Nashville together, but Preston said he did not know whether Torshin met Trump at the convention.

"He may have," Preston said. "Trump shook hands with a lot of people."

Work on the Blackburn campaign

Preston's law firm, the Kline Preston Law Group, represented the Blackburn campaign in 2005 during an investigation into possible campaign finance violations.

The case was settled with Blackburn admitting to "inadvertent violation of FEC" law and the payment of a $1,500 penalty.

From 2005 to 2007, Blackburn's campaign committee paid Preston and his law firm $9,740.

In 2004, Blackburn also paid Tiffany Preston a total of $4,100 in six payments for "administrative" or "salary." From 2005 to 2006 the campaign committee also made 32 payments to Tiffany Preston, totaling $22,700 for "administrative consulting."

Preston's firm also represented MDSave, a Brentwood healthcare startup founded by Blackburn's son-in-law, Paul Ketchel. Blackburn's son, Chad Blackburn, served as vice president for business development for MDSave from 2012-2014, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Preston said he was not currently providing legal services to MDSave.

"There's nothing going on right now," he said.

Russian business connections

In the 1990s, Preston was part owner of a company that imported Kievskaya Rus vodka from Ukraine. At one point, Toys R Us balked at the vodka name, saying the word "Rus" could lead to confusion and dilution of the chain store's name.

At the time, Preston's company — Preston Skahan and Smith International — owned a seat on the Russian Stock and Commodity Exchange and was involved with connecting Nashvillians with Russian and Ukrainian investment opportunities.

Preston, an Atlanta native, is also listed as the registered agent for dozens of businesses over the years including a Nashville-based company named The Russian Language Foundation.

After receiving a law degree from Nashville School of Law, Preston passed the bar exam in 1995 and began practicing. He sued the federal government after his grandfather and other East Tennesseans lost access to their homes. The case was later dismissed.

Then in 1998, Preston took out ads in the Tennessean offering information about adopting Ukrainian children.

In recent years, Preston has represented clients in Davidson County for various charges including murder, drug possession and money laundering.

Since 2009, Preston has penned several books, including the Art of Gittin' Paid, which offers financial advice to boost one's income, six books on Russian law and one about on the 2011 Russian legislative elections.

Reach Anita Wadhwani at awadhwani@tennessean.com, 615-259-8092 or on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani. Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com, 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @JoelEbert29