Nra, New York State sues the powerful arms lobby: fraud and corruption

2020-08-07T06:40:36.834Z

 New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association, claiming that years of corruption and waste have irreparably undermined his ability to operate nonprofit, the New York Times writes. The lawsuit initiates a legal confrontation that could last for years and which will leave the NRA., 148 years of life and for some time the nation's most influential weapon rights lobby, but recently limping due to financial difficulties and internal struggles, to fight for survival. The Attorney General's office has already spearheaded the dissolution of President Trump's charitable foundation, marked by the scandal, but the NR., Which supports the president and has more than five million members, is a much larger organization than it could last longer. James said LaPierre, who has run the NRA for nearly three decades, has illicitly used the association's funds to pay for private jets for his family's travels on frequent luxury vacations to the Bahamas. LaPierre also accepted lavish gifts and travel from NRA suppliers, and gave himself a $ 17 million pension package without approval from the association's board of directors. Former Treasurer Wilson Phillips is accused of hiring as an organization consultant for $ 1.8 million, and of hiding tens of millions of dollars in expenses for NRA executives as payments to his public relations contractor, Ackerman Queen. Two other executives have also been charged with nepotistic practices. "The influence of the NRA has been so powerful that the organization has remained unchecked for decades, while top managers have channeled millions of dollars into their pockets," said James. "The NRA is full of fraud and abuse, which is why we try to dissolve it today, because no organization is above the law." The cause came while it was expected that the NRA, although financially weakened, would pump huge sums in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections in November. For his part, President Trump suggested that NRA move its headquarters to Texas. "I think the NRA should move to Texas and it would be really good there," said the head of the White House during an interview with reporters. "It is a very terrible thing that just happened," said Trump referring to the news of the investigation.