Wayne LaPierre reportedly ousted Oliver North in an NRA power struggle

Wayne LaPierre.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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.

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Tim O'Donnell

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.