New York Attorney General Letitia James Has Filed a Lawsuit to Dissolve the NRA
New York state attorney general Letitia James has announced a big step towards taking down the National Rifle Association.
On Thursday, the attorney general announced that she has filed a lawsuit against the NRA and four individuals, including longtime leader Wayne LaPierre, seeking to dissolve the gun rights advocacy group for "diverting charitable funds to support wasteful spending."
According to NBC News, James said at a press briefing that the organization engaged in illegal conduct by diverting "millions of dollars away from the charitable mission of the organization for personal use by senior leadership, awarding contracts to the financial gain of close associates and family, and appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty."
New York Attorney General Letitia James: "For these years of fraud and misconduct, we are seeking an order to dissolve the NRA in its entirety." https://t.co/yHU8ulrU7v pic.twitter.com/DGrEN0OZvb
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 6, 2020
In a tweet on Thursday morning, James wrote, "The @NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse. No organization is above the law."
#BREAKING: I filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association for years of self-dealing and illegal conduct.
The @NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse.
No organization is above the law.— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) August 6, 2020
"Our lawsuit charges the NRA as a whole and four senior leaders, including Wayne LaPierre, with failing to manage the NRA’s funds and failing to follow numerous state and federal laws," she added in follow-up tweets. "These actions contributed to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA."
Our lawsuit charges the NRA as a whole and four senior leaders, including Wayne LaPierre, with failing to manage the NRA’s funds and failing to follow numerous state and federal laws.
These actions contributed to the loss of more than $64 million in just three years for the NRA.— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) August 6, 2020
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According to CBS, the suit alleges that LaPierre has "exploited" the NRA for personal gain, and claims that he and his family allegedly traveled to the Bahamas by private jet at least eight times in three years, costing the NRA more than $500,000. The suit also claims that on those visits, a NRA vendor gave LaPierre and his family use of a 107-foot yacht.
