First, the Daily Beast reported this morning that pardoned criminal and right wing hero Oliver North has been ousted as President of the National Rifle Association, prevented somehow from seeking re-election at the gun group’s Annual General Meeting after he was accused of blackmail by the group’s other key leader Wayne LaPierre as reported earlier by Walter Einenkel.
North read a letter this morning, the opening of the second day of the NRA’s AGM:
“Please know I hoped to be with you today as NRA president endorsed for reelection. I’m now informed that that will not happen,” he wrote.
Apparently someone took him aside and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Next, two anonymous sources told the Daily Beast that the mass-murder-empowering association’s top lawyer, Steve Hart, has been suspended.
The lawyer’s ouster represents the departure of another senior, long-time NRA insider with detailed knowledge of the organization’s troubles. And it comes as internal turmoil and sniping rocks the gun-rights group.
(See, I’m not the only one doing gun puns here. [points finger at the Beast] It’s all their fault.)
Now why get rid of another senior long-time insider with detailed knowledge of the organization’s troubles?
The firestorm all seems to do with financial irregularities, hard to imagine from such a fine posse of straight-shooters with such high aims. Per the Beast still:
On Friday … The NRA also claimed in an update to a lawsuit against its long-time advertising vendor, Ackerman McQueen, that North double-dipped by simultaneously taking a salary from the firm and being on contract with it to make a documentary series for NRATV.
North, meanwhile, told the board recently that he fears serious financial mismanagement by the NRA’s leadership. He recently wrote a letter to board members raising concerns and announcing the start of a crisis management committee. “I did this because I am deeply concerned that these allegations could threaten our nonprofit status,” North wrote, per a copy of the memo reviewed by The Daily Beast.
Right, like the Trump DoJ would give two shots about that.
Both sides continue to go full-bore at each other. It’s all the result of tensions arising, no doubt, from the whole association’s precarious financial situation, not to mention its being under investigation for possible money laundering. Becoming losers in the battle of public opinion, as a clear majority of Americans now want sensible gun control, can’t be helping their will to keep their powder dry.
With any luck there won’t be much of the organization left when the smoke clears.
Sunday, Apr 28, 2019 · 1:33:41 AM +00:00 · KM Wehrstein
Something that might be motivating the NRA shoot out, per ABC News, h/t 1BQ.
The dust-up came as New York State Attorney General Letititia James announced late on Saturday that her office is investigating the NRA and has issued subpoenas. A source close to the investigation confirmed to ABC News that the probe is focused on the NRA's finances and its status as a tax-exempt non-profit.
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