Tag: National Rifle Association

NRA reports alleged misspending by current and former executives to IRS

Washington Post logo

After years of denying allegations of lax financial oversight, the National Rifle Association has made a stunning declaration in a new tax filing: Current and former executives used the nonprofit group’s money for personal benefit and enrichment.

The NRA said in the filing that it continues to review the alleged abuse of funds, as the tax-exempt organization curtails services and runs up multimillion-dollar legal bills. The assertion of impropriety comes four months after the attorney general of New York state filed a lawsuit accusing NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre and other top executives of using NRA funds for decades to provide inflated salaries and expense accounts.

The tax return, which The Washington Post obtained from the organization, says the NRA “became aware during 2019 of a significant diversion of its assets.” The 2019 filing states that LaPierre and five former executives received “excess benefits,” a term the IRS uses to describe executives’ enriching themselves at the expense of a nonprofit entity. Continue reading.

GOP Defends NRA Despite Evidence Of Waste, Fraud, And Abuse

Republican lawmakers are calling a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday against the National Rifle Association an attack on gun ownership while ignoring the charges of “fraud and abuse” contained in the filing.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise tweeted in response to the suit: “Violent crime is skyrocketing in NYC. What’s New York’s Democrat Attorney General focused on? Launching politically motivated attacks against the Second Amendment & NRA. Make no mistake: Making it harder for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is the far-left’s agenda.”

James’ suit seeks to dissolve the organization and ban its officers from serving on nonprofit boards in the future. Continue reading.

New York attorney general sues to dissolve the NRA

The Hill logoNew York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on Thursday announced a lawsuit that seeks to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA), alleging the powerful pro-gun interest group violated corporate laws resulting in a loss of more than $64 million over three years.

The 169-page civil suit follows an 18-month fraud investigation by James’s office. The lawsuit alleges that the NRA and four of its top officials diverted millions of dollars away from its charitable mission and instituted “a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement and negligent oversight.”

“As today’s complaints lays out, we found that the NRA … fostered a culture of noncompliance and disregard for internal controls that led to the waste and loss of millions of assets and contributed to the NRA’s current deteriorated financial state,” James said during a press conference. Continue reading.

NRA shows signs of decline, even in Trump’s America

<,em>Members of the Patriot Prayer Group sing the National Anthem during an “open carry” rally in Seattle on May 20. Credit: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)

But the group isn’t letting up on its adversarial and sometimes snarky tone

The influence of the National Rifle Association, the nation’s highest-profile Second Amendment-rights organization and a longtime powerhouse against gun-control laws, is showing signs of potential decline.

The NRA’s own tax forms show a dip in revenue. And even as the group, now under the leadership of new president Oliver North of Iran-Contra fame, continues to spend big money on federal lobbying and political campaigns, its opponents in the gun-control movement, after decades of ever more deadly mass shootings and seemingly random incidents of gun violence, have been on the rise.

During the 2018 midterm elections, for example, gun-rights groups spent some $9.9 million on outside political efforts, nearly all of that from the NRA, while gun-control groups invested a record high of $11.9 million, according to a tabulation from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics

View the complete February 1 article by Kate Ackley on The Roll Call website here.

NRA Applauds Trump’s School Safety Report

Yesterday, the National Rifle Association praised Trump’s school safety report released in response to the Parkland school shooting. That’s all you really need to know.

The NRA applauded Trump’s school safety report.

New York Times: “Chris W. Cox, the executive director of the N.R.A.’s lobbying arm, applauded the report, in particular the commission’s conclusion on age limits on weapons purchases.”

Trump’s report played down the role of guns in school shootings.

New York Times: “Trump Administration Report on School Safety Plays Down Role of Guns”

Trump’s report doubled down on arming school personnel.

McClatchy: “President Donald Trump doubled down on recommendations to arm school personnel to stop mass shootings as students and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., site of a Valentine’s Day shooting, called for Americans to focus on steps they can agree on instead of political differences.” Continue reading “NRA Applauds Trump’s School Safety Report”

Paulsen fails voters again and again

To the editor:< Once again, Rep. Paulsen has put party politics and special interest groups ahead of the voters. It happened with recent tax reform, where the Ways & Means committee Erik serves on crafted legislation that reduced our state income tax/property tax deduction to $10,000 per year and largely eliminated many of us from sharing in any of the highly touted tax cuts. More importantly, those tax cuts were little more than a thinly veiled effort to buy our votes, and will add $1.5 trillion to the nation’s deficit. It happened when Erik ignored the overwhelming majority of voters in our district who favor meaningful gun control in favor of garnering an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. I think it’s safe to assume that rating includes generous financial support from the NRA as well. Now it’s happened again, where thanks to federal legislation, over 300,000 senior citizens in Minnesota will lose their existing Medicare health plan supplement at the end of the year. For 2019, our choices include (1) paying an additional $1,000 per year to retain coverage that is comparable to our current plan, or (2) joining a program where coverage is diluted with costly co-pays, and our choice of doctors/providers is limited. In either case, seniors’ health insurance is taking a big step backwards. Some readers may suspect that my criticism is partisan. Fact is, I worked for Rep. Paulsen’s political campaign years ago helping with street signs and literature. I’ve also served as a delegate at the Minnesota Republican convention. But the bottom line is our political system is broken, and we’re badly in need of newly elected officials. Rep. Paulsen has demonstrated his constituents are no longer his priority. He’s had ample opportunity to serve – now it’s time for a change. Roddy Geckler, Edina Edina Sun-Current, October 18, 2018

It’s a Mystery

It’s a mystery to me why Paulsen could not simply answer “yes” or “no” to a question asked by three different people at different times during the town-hall session I attended in Brooklyn Park. The first person could not have been more clear when she asked him to respond “yes” or “no” to whether he would accept funds from the National Rifle Association. Paulsen insulted her and the rest of us by responding that he did not expect any contribution from the NRA.

Did he think we were stupid and would not notice his issue avoidance? That is when our frustrations with yet another non-answer to a question from someone in attendance boiled over and we became, in his words, “more boisterous” than those in attendance at the two town-hall sessions held earlier in the day. Yes, some of us briefly gave voice to our contempt. Continue reading “It’s a Mystery”

Wyden Wants Details on NRA Links to Russian Bank Official

The following article by Griffin Connolly was posted on the Roll Call website February 2, 2018:

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested documents linking a Russian central banker to the NRA. Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Sen. Ron Wyden has questions for the National Rifle Association.

The Oregon Democrat requested any documents showing financial links between the organization and Russia, The Associated Press reported Friday.

Wyden’s request comes after reports last month that the gun lobbying titan may have received money from a top Russian central bank official during the 2016 presidential election.

The FBI is investigating any ties the NRA might have to Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank and a close associate of President Vladimir Putin, a number of outlets reported last month. Continue reading “Wyden Wants Details on NRA Links to Russian Bank Official”