The NRA is suing the longtime vendor that produces NRA TV, accusing the firm of hiding details on how it spends the gun-rights organization's money and obscuring its financial relationship with NRA president Oliver North. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Virginia, is "a stunning breach within the normally buttoned-up organization," The New York Times reported Monday, and it could lead to North's ouster, the end of NRA TV, or a permanent rift with Ackerman McQueen, the Oklahoma ad company that runs NRA TV and has worked closely with the NRA for more than three decades.

NRA TV has been widely "perceived by the public as the voice of the NRA" since Ackerman McQueen created it in 2016, the NRA's complaint says, and the Times reports that at least two prominent NRA board members have expressed alarm that NRA TV has strayed far beyond gun rights and into warnings about race wars, salvos at the FBI, and incendiary antics like putting Thomas the Tank Engine in a Ku Klux Klan hood.

The proximate cause of the dispute, however, is NRA concern about financial shenanigans at Ackerman, including questions about whether the NRA's $40 million a year pays for Ackerman's staff when they work for other clients, and its alleged refusal to hand over financial records on things like out-of-pocket expenses "that lacked meaningful documentation of NRA approvals, receipts or other support," the complaint says. "The NRA's patience has run out," the complaint adds. Ackerman says it provided the NRA's auditors with all requested documentation.

Behind the scenes, The Wall Street Journal reports, there's "an unusual battle unfolding" between "a small group of pro-Ackerman McQueen directors" on the NRA's 76-member board and "other board members and an outside NRA attorney," William Brewer III. Brewer is the son-in-law of Ackerman co-CEO Angus McQueen and brother-in-law of its CEO, Revan McQueen. You can read more at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Peter Weber

Rudy Giuliani claims he's holding onto text messages that prove the State Department backed his activity in Ukraine and that he'll eventually use them to "protect" himself.

President Trump's personal lawyer spoke to CNN after a whistleblower complaint accused him of being a "central figure" in soliciting Ukraine's help in interfering in the 2020 election by investigating former Vice President Joe Biden. The complaint also alleges U.S. officials were "deeply concerned” by Giuliani's "circumvention of national security decisionmaking" in speaking to Ukrainian officials, and it says State Department officials had to speak to Giuliani to "contain the damage" he was doing to national security.

Giuliani denied this, telling CNN "at no time did the State Department in communication with me ever relay any of that information you're talking about." He also claimed he has a "nice little trail" of text messages with Kurt Volker, U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, to back up his account, as well as five or six texts that prove the State Department was signing off on what he was doing.

Giuliani shared one text with CNN showing Volker connecting him with an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The State Department last month confirmed Volker did so but said Giuliani is just a "private citizen and acts in a personal capacity."

Giuliani also referenced holding onto texts in an interview with The Atlantic, again claiming State Department officials asked for his help in Ukraine while saying, "Why did they send me a bunch of friendly text messages reaching out for my help, thanking me for my help?” This time, he told the Atlantic the texts would be released "in a longer story." Brendan Morrow

The House may be wrapped up in whistleblowers and impeachment, but the Senate is still plodding along.

Just a few hours after a whistleblower report about President Trump's Ukraine phone call was released and Acting Director of Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified about it, the Senate confirmed Eugene Scalia as Trump's next labor secretary. Scalia was confirmed along a 53-44 party line vote, replacing Alex Acosta who resigned amid allegations he mishandled Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse case.

During confirmation hearings, Scalia was questioned about an op-ed he wrote in college that said lesbian parents are not "as equally acceptable or desirable as the traditional family life." Scalia said his views on the subject have since changed, per The New York Times.

Scalia's name is no doubt familiar, as he's the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Eugene Scalia has a similarly conservative background and has defended businesses as a corporate lawyer, namely representing SeaWorld in a case involving an orca killing one of the marine park's trainers. SeaWorld ended up losing, but Scalia did win over then-federal judge Brett Kavanaugh, the lone dissenter in the case. Kathryn Krawczyk

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) just earned a free campaign advertisement.

As the candidate surges in the 2020 race on platform of big business breakups, some Wall Street Democrats have indicated they'd hold onto their usual donations or even send them to President Trump if she ends up the nominee, CNBC reports. But seeing as Warren has had no trouble condemning banks and the absurdly wealthy throughout her time in government, that's probably not going to influence her campaign.

Warren has spent her campaign calling for a wealth tax, higher big business taxes, and a massive breakup of conglomerates in the tech and finance industries. Unsurprisingly, some finance types are not big fans. One senior private equity executive told CNBC they felt "in a box" because, while they "want to help the party," Warren is "going to hurt me." "They will not support her. It would be like shutting down their industry," an executive at a top bank similarly said of his industry.

But as soon as the CNBC story went up, tweets that surmised Warren's reaction came pouring in. Some pundits guessed the article would end up in a Warren fundraising email. The Washington Free Beacon's David Rutz suggested Warren herself gave a quote in disguise. And The Washington Post's Dave Weigel jokingly asked if the Warren campaign paid for the article altogether.

A spokesperson for Warren declined to comment to CNBC, but her approval of an earlier CNBC clip reporting that Wall Street executives are afraid of a Warren presidency speaks for itself. Kathryn Krawczyk

New information about the whistleblower who filed a complaint alleging abuses of power by President Trump has been revealed by The New York Times.

The anonymous whistleblower whose complaint sparked an official impeachment probe in the House of Representatives is a C.I.A. officer who was once detailed to work at the White House, the Times reports.

The Times writes that while "little else" is known about the whistleblower, the complaint "suggested he was an analyst by training," and his "expertise will likely add to lawmakers' confidence about the merits of his complaint."

Released publicly Thursday, the declassified complaint alleges Trump pushed for Ukraine's president to interfere in the 2020 presidential election by investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and that the White House then moved to restrict access to the transcript of that call.

The whistleblower's lead counsel slammed the Times for reporting information that might help identify the whistleblower, calling it "deeply concerning and reckless." Dean Baquet, executive editor of the Times, defended the decision in the report, saying the whistleblower's "credibility and his place in the government" is "essential to understanding one of the most important issues facing the country." Read the full report at The New York Times. Brendan Morrow

President Trump reportedly stunned attendees of a private breakfast Thursday by railing against the U.S. officials who provided information to a whistleblower, suggesting they should be harshly punished for treason.

Trump, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times report, spoke Thursday to staff of the United States Mission to the United Nations and ranted about the sources who spoke with the anonymous whistleblower, saying, "I want to know who's the person who gave the whistleblower the information because that's close to a spy."

Trump reportedly then said, "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right? We used to handle it a little differently than we do now."

The president's remarks, the Times reports, "stunned people in the audience." They came following the release of the declassified complaint alleging Trump abused his power by pushing for Ukraine's president to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and that White House officials then moved to restrict access to the call's transcript. Although the whistleblower did not have firsthand knowledge, the complaint says it is based on the account of more than half a dozen U.S. officials.

At this same event, Trump reportedly referred to reporters as "animals" and "scum" while saying that although "I didn't do anything," "I don't know if I’m the most innocent person in the world."

During his testimony Thursday, Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire defended the whistleblower, saying they "acted in good faith throughout" the process and "did the right thing." Brendan Morrow

Impeachment is seemingly growing on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

On Thursday morning, the House Intelligence Committee released a whistleblower report alleging President Trump's call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky put national security at risk. And as Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified about the whistleblower report, Pelosi delivered a solid burn to explain why she thought it was exceptionally incriminating for Trump.

In the report, the whistleblower alleges White House officials not only went to extra length to conceal Trump's call, but that it was far from the only time this has happened. Yet Trump has claimed the report is "exculpatory," Pelosi said, and she's not sure why, unless "maybe he doesn't know that word."

Pelosi went on to condemn Maguire's initial refusal to hand the whistleblower report to Congress' intelligence committees. "I think what the DNI did was broke the law," she said, spelling out what she thought the correct process would've been. Kathryn Krawczyk