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A New York lawsuit alleges the NRA and leader Wayne LaPierre engaged in decades of fraud to drain the organization’s funds for personal gain; Laura Ingle reports.
The National Rifle Association is fighting back against a lawsuit filed Thursday by New York’s attorney general by submitting its own civil suit against state officials.
The NRA’s lawsuit was filed federal court of New York and alleges Attorney General Letitia James “made the political prosecution of the NRA a central campaign theme” when she was running for the AG’s office in 2018, and has not treated the association fairly since.
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“Despite hopes that playing by the rules would procure a just outcome, the NRA has not been treated fairly by James’s office,” the 19-page suit states. “The New York Democratic Party political machine seeks to harass, defund, and dismantle the NRA because of what it believes and what it says.”
President Trump also slammed James’ suit against the group, calling it “a very terrible thing.”
“I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life. And I’ve told them that for a long time. I think they should move to Texas – Texas would be a great state or to another state of their choosing – but I would say that Texas would be a great place and an appropriate place for the NRA.”
James sued the NRA in an effort to dissolve the gun-rights group “for years of self-dealing and illegal conduct,” she announced Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, alleges that the NRA of “diverted millions of dollars away from its charitable mission for personal use by senior leadership.” She further slammed the association for what she called “years of self-dealing and illegal conduct that violate New York’s charities laws and undermine its own mission.”
The 166-page lawsuit names four NRA executives, including CEO Wayne LaPierre, as defendants.
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“Contrary to his statutory duties of care, loyalty and obedience to the mission of the charity, LaPierre has undertaken a series of actions to consolidate his position; to exploit that position for his personal benefit and that of his family; to continue, by use of a secret “poison pill contract,” his employment even after removal and ensuring NRA income for life; and to intimidate, punish, and expel anyone at a senior level who raised concerns about his conduct,” the attorney general’s lawsuit states.
James’ office teased what it said would be a “major announcement” in an email sent out Tuesday night.
James said the actions of the accused quartet “contributed to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA.”
In turn, NRA President Carolyn Meadows responded by calling the lawsuit a “baseless, premeditated attack” on the group and the Second Amendment.
“You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle,” Meadows said. “It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.”
She further called the suit “a desperate move that is part of a rank political vendetta.”
“This has been a power grab by a political opportunist,” she said. “Our members won’t be intimidated or bullied in their defense of political and constitutional freedom … we not only will not shrink from this fight – we will confront it and prevail.”
