The latest front in Russian infiltration: America’s right-wing homeschooling movement

Why is Americans biggest right-wing homeschooling group networking with sanctioned Russians and their employees? Illustration: DianaI Ofosu

This is the latest connection between Russia and the American religious right.

The group and its origins sound innocuous enough. But the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) — a right-wing group founded 36 years ago — has deepened connections between America’s religious right and Russians even as the latter have been sanctioned by the United States, according to a ThinkProgress investigation.

By networking with Russians, the HSLDA — now America’s largest right-wing homeschooling association — has provided the Kremlin with a new avenue of influence over some of the most conservative organizations in the United States.

And while investigations by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, intelligence organizations, and congressional committees have focused on Russia’s efforts to influence U.S. elections, Russian ties to groups like the HSLDA demonstrate the Kremlin’s broader attempts to hold sway over American policies.

View the complete January 17 article by Casey Michel on the ThinkProgress website here.