Wayne LaPierre reportedly ousted Oliver North in an NRA power struggle
It looks like the brief power struggle at the highest ranks of the National Rifle Association is over — and Wayne LaPierre is the victor.
In a letter sent to NRA board members Thursday, LaPierre, the organization's chief executive, claimed the board's president, Oliver North — yes, the Oliver North of Iran-Contra Affair fame — was trying to extort him into resigning, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. LaPierre said North told him the NRA's longtime advertising firm, Ackerman McQueen, would send a letter to the board through North that would be "bad" for LaPierre. The letter reportedly would contain "destructive allegations" made against LaPierre and the NRA, The Washington Post reports. LaPierre said he refused to comply with the threat.
North sent his own letter to the board in response, writing that his actions were "for the good of the NRA" and that he was forming a crisis committee to examine financial matters inside the organization, the Journal reports. But on Saturday, North announced that he would not serve a second term as board president, though he did maintain that the organization is dealing with a "clear" financial crisis.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The power struggle reportedly stemmed in part from a dispute between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen. The NRA sued the firm earlier this month, claiming Ackerman McQueen refused to provide records justifying its billings. North reportedly was hired by Ackerman McQueen last year to host an NRATV documentary program, which LaPierre said results in "millions of dollars annually" for North. Tim O'Donnell
This is a breaking news story and has been updated throughout.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published