Italy can’t stop talking about Salvini’s Russia tape scandal

Matteo Salvini, the euroskeptic strongman of Italian politics, can’t seem to shut down a scandal over alleged illegal financing from Russia.

The deputy prime minister has been trying to distance himself from a close ally, Gianluca Savoini, who was recorded apparently soliciting illegal party funding from three Russians, according to a report by Buzzfeed News. The story has dominated Italian media coverage since it broke last week, with Salvini attempting – and so far failing – to distance himself from the fixer.

Savoini, a one-time Salvini spokesman, attended a July 4 dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Rome, and the deputy premier has said he doesn’t know how his associate came to be there. On Sunday, however, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte undermined that account, saying in a statement that Savoini had in fact been invited by Salvini’s office.

With western leaders struggling to come to grips with the scope of Russian attempts to undermine their democracies, the Buzzfeed report suggests that the most powerful home-grown opponent of the European Union may have been colluding with the Kremlin.

Salvini has broken rank with France and Germany by repeatedly calling on the EU to lift sanctions against Russia. Italian media also reported that League lawmakers tried to ease limits on foreign funding of political groups.

Undermining Democracy

In addition to meddling in the U.S. presidential election of 2016, Russia has sought to attack the democratic process in at least 15 EU states, including Germany, France and Spain, according to a Senate minority report last year which labeled Putin a “malign influence.”

Savoini, who is president of the Lombardy Russia association, met with three unidentified Russians in Moscow last October and discussed ways to finance Salvini’s League party, Buzzfeed reported on July 10, citing a recording of the conversation. Milan prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into possible Russian funds paid to the League.

Salvini, who also serves as interior minister, has denied his party received any Russian financing. In a statement last week, the deputy premier said he has “never taken a ruble, a euro, a dollar or a liter of vodka in financing from Russia.”

Salvini sought to ignore the attacks over the Moscow meeting, focusing instead on the fight against crime – a key policy platform alongside curbing immigration and introducing a so-called flat tax. He’s also convened unions to discuss economic policy.

Salvini’s Rise

After more than 20 years working in obscurity for the League, Salvini has surged to prominence since joining a populist coalition in Rome as junior partner last year. His mastery of social media and ordinary-Joe persona have struck a chord with Italians. Since his victory in May’s European elections, he’s been looking to tighten his grip on the government.

Conte on Sunday night said he still has confidence in Salvini, according to Ansa news agency, but that there has to be transparency in government.

Still Strong

The revelations may not put a dent in Salvini’s domestic popularity — Italians after all stuck by Putin’s friend Silvio Berlusconi through multiple scandals — but they will add to tensions with his coalition partner, the anti-corruption Five Star Movement.

Many of Salvini’s allies have been pushing for him to break with Five Star and seek early elections. Support for the League climbed to 38% in a poll this month, within shooting distance of the 40% threshold that could give the League a majority in the parliament.

Yet the ongoing questions over the Moscow meeting have put Salvini, the dominant force in the ruling coalition, on the defensive. Tommaso Ebhardt & John Follain, Bloomberg