New York AG Calls for Dissolution of NRA, Removal of Wayne LaPierre

Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, addresses the
Win McNamee/Getty Images

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Thursday in which she called for the dissolution of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

The Washington Post reported that James also called for Wayne LaPierre to be removed from his leadership position. James wants LaPierre and three other individuals to repay funds to NRA members, which she claims were spent on “inflated salaries.”

The three other NRA individuals are general counsel John Frazer, former treasurer Woody Phillips and former chief of staff Joshua Powell.

James alleges that LaPierre has a post-employment contract that will pay him $17 million, and she claims he did not get the NRA board’s approval for the contract. She also alleges that LaPierre used a public relations firm to funnel personal expenses, allegedly allowing him to avoid reporting all income.

Jame’s office released a statement saying, “The NRA’s influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funneled millions into their own pockets,”

The statement continued, “A culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent.”

James has been investigating the NRA since February 2019. Her suit, New York vs. National Rifle Association, was filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on August 6, 2020.

NRA President Carolyn Meadows released a statement in response to James’ suit, saying, “This was a baseless, premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend.”

She suggested the suit is the outworking of partisan politics, adding, “You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle. It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.”

Meadows concluded, “Our members won’t be intimidated or bullied in their defense of political and constitutional freedom.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkinsa weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.

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