Oliver North No Longer NRA President, Now the Gun Group Is Facing Investigation
Oliver North has announced that he will not serve a second term as president of the National Rifle Association. He made it clear that he was forced out of the leadership of the organization, and there are claims that it's because he tried to oust longtime NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre.
"Please know I hoped to be with you today as NRA president endorsed for reelection. I'm now informed that will not happen," North said in a statement that was read by Richard Childress, the NRA's first vice president, to members at the group's annual convention Saturday.
In his own letter to the NRA board, LaPierre claimed North tried to pressure him into resigning. He wrote: "The exhortation was simple: Resign or there will be destructive allegations made against me and the NRA."
North had previously sent a letter to the board's executive committee raising questions about LaPierre's handling of finances and seeking to form a crisis committee to look into it.
The organization's board was scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the next steps forward as members said they want answers after North's allegations could endanger the group's nonprofit status, according to The Washington Times.
Meanwhile, the New York Attorney General announced Saturday that she is launching an investigation into the NRA's finances.
The Times reports Attorney General Letitia James has issued document preservation notices to the NRA and some affiliated entities as part of the investigation.
The NRA will "fully cooperate" with any inquiry into its finances, William A. Brewer III, a lawyer for the NRA, said in a statement.
