boilermaker
NES Member
So far, I don't hear anyone sticking up for Wayne or the BOD, the only calls I hear are for a re-org. I think they are going to get skewered by the State of NY, and I am not sure where that leaves us.
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NRA’s Cleans House/downward spiral megathread, Update post 567 NRA Staffer Used $40K in NRA Money to Pay for Family Wedding
- Thread starter mikeyp
- Start date
DitchDigger
NES Member
Sounds like a smaller version of DC
Power corrupts
Get on or create the big TIT
Power corrupts
Get on or create the big TIT
boilermaker
NES Member
NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre Questioned on Travel Expenses
NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre Questioned on Travel Expenses
Lawyer for the gun-rights organization says vast majority of the money was spent on donor outreach, fundraising and other business
By
Mark Maremont
May 2, 2019 5:57 p.m. ET
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre charged the organization’s ad agency more than $240,000 for expenses related to trips he took to Italy, Hungary, the Bahamas and other locales without providing adequate documentation, according to a letter from the ad agency given to the group’s board last week and described by people familiar with the matter.
Some of Mr. LaPierre’s expenses were charged to one of the ad firm’s credit cards, the people said, and overall costs included a 2014 stay at the Four Seasons hotel in Budapest and expenses related to trips to Palm Beach, Fla., and Reno, Nev. The ad firm, Ackerman McQueen Inc., was reimbursed over time by the gun-rights group, these people said.
The disclosure of the travel expenses came to light because of an extraordinary falling-out between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen. The previously unreported letter, dated April 22, played a role in the recent turmoil inside the NRA, and raises new questions about whether Mr. LaPierre benefited from dealings with NRA vendors.
An outside attorney for the NRA, William A. Brewer III, said the “vast majority of travel involved donor outreach, fundraising and stakeholder engagement. The board is aware of the allegations and has taken them under review.”
Mr. Brewer said certain fundraising and travel expenses were routed through Ackerman McQueen for “confidentiality and security purposes,” but the practice has since been modified. Mr. LaPierre didn’t return messages left at the NRA.
The travel expense letter could become a factor as the NRA faces an investigation by New York’s attorney general that was made public over the weekend. Related-party transactions—financial deals that benefit insiders of nonprofit entities—are among the issues being examined in that probe, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The Journal previously reported that Mr. LaPierre received more than $200,000 in suits and other clothing paid for by a vendor—which people familiar with the matter now say was also Ackerman McQueen. NRA officials have said the spending was justified because of his numerous speaking and TV appearances.
The Ackerman McQueen letter was given to the NRA directors last week by then-NRA President Oliver North, who called for a crisis committee of the board to probe the travel costs and other allegations of financial mismanagement.
Mr. North left the group after he was accused by Mr. LaPierre of extorting him and pressuring him to resign over unspecified “accusations of wardrobe expenses and excessive staff travel expenses.”
In a statement Thursday, NRA director Marion Hammer said the travel-expense allegations were “part of the failed coup attempt” and have been properly vetted by the board.
Those defending Mr. North have said that he was doing his fiduciary duty by pushing for an internal probe of credible allegations brought to his attention. Mr. North hasn’t commented.
Mr. LaPierre’s disclosed compensation in 2017, the most recently reported year, was $1.4 million. He has headed the NRA since 1991.
Despite a decadeslong relationship, the NRA sued its ad firm last month for allegedly failing to provide records to justify its bills. Ackerman McQueen has called the suit frivolous and inaccurate.
Days after the lawsuit was filed, Ackerman McQueen sent Mr. LaPierre the letter, copied to others, saying it wasn’t able to provide records to the NRA justifying the more than $240,000 spent on Mr. LaPierre’s travel costs without documentation from him, the people said.
The letter said it was “imperative” that Mr. LaPierre provide the requested documentation, these people said.
The trip to Italy, one person familiar with the matter said, was tied to a short 2015 documentary feature on the Italian gun maker Beretta posted on NRATV. Mr. LaPierre’s wife, Susan LaPierre, appears in the video talking to a Beretta family member. Ms. LaPierre co-chairs the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum. She didn’t immediately respond to a message left with the NRA.
Elizabeth Kingsley, a Washington attorney who specializes in nonprofit law, said charging the travel costs to Ackerman McQueen could be justified if they were for NRA-related functions arranged by the ad firm.
If they were for personal travel, Ms. Kingsley said, “it looks like you’re hiding it” by routing the expenses through a vendor. That also would raise questions, she said, about whether Mr. LaPierre paid tax on the value of any personal travel benefits and whether the NRA’s board knew about the arrangement.
Ackerman McQueen separately sent another letter requesting backup records for about $450,000 in expenses it paid for related to travel by Tyler Schropp, the NRA’s top fundraising official, one person familiar with the matter said.
Those expenses included stays at luxury hotels, including Meadowood in California’s Napa Valley. As a fundraiser, Mr. Schropp must entertain wealthy donors.
Mr. Schropp didn’t return messages left with the NRA. The NRA didn’t respond to questions about the specifics of Mr. Schropp’s travel.
Ackerman McQueen didn’t directly charge the NRA for Mr. LaPierre’s wardrobe costs, which it began paying for about 15 years ago, according to the people familiar with the letter. Many of the expenses were incurred at a Beverly Hills, Calif., store that sells clothing by the Italian luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna, these people said.
Even if the wardrobe costs were justifiable, said Ms. Kingsley, the nonprofit attorney, “I worry about a vendor giving nice things to an executive who is deciding whether to keep the vendor.”
Nonprofits are supposed to be run in the best interests of the organization, not for the benefit of board members or executives, legal experts said. Under New York’s nonprofit law, among the toughest in the U.S., the attorney general could seek to remove directors or officers, and claw back as much as double any improperly obtained benefit.
NRA Chief Wayne LaPierre Questioned on Travel Expenses
Lawyer for the gun-rights organization says vast majority of the money was spent on donor outreach, fundraising and other business
By
Mark Maremont
May 2, 2019 5:57 p.m. ET
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre charged the organization’s ad agency more than $240,000 for expenses related to trips he took to Italy, Hungary, the Bahamas and other locales without providing adequate documentation, according to a letter from the ad agency given to the group’s board last week and described by people familiar with the matter.
Some of Mr. LaPierre’s expenses were charged to one of the ad firm’s credit cards, the people said, and overall costs included a 2014 stay at the Four Seasons hotel in Budapest and expenses related to trips to Palm Beach, Fla., and Reno, Nev. The ad firm, Ackerman McQueen Inc., was reimbursed over time by the gun-rights group, these people said.
The disclosure of the travel expenses came to light because of an extraordinary falling-out between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen. The previously unreported letter, dated April 22, played a role in the recent turmoil inside the NRA, and raises new questions about whether Mr. LaPierre benefited from dealings with NRA vendors.
An outside attorney for the NRA, William A. Brewer III, said the “vast majority of travel involved donor outreach, fundraising and stakeholder engagement. The board is aware of the allegations and has taken them under review.”
Mr. Brewer said certain fundraising and travel expenses were routed through Ackerman McQueen for “confidentiality and security purposes,” but the practice has since been modified. Mr. LaPierre didn’t return messages left at the NRA.
The travel expense letter could become a factor as the NRA faces an investigation by New York’s attorney general that was made public over the weekend. Related-party transactions—financial deals that benefit insiders of nonprofit entities—are among the issues being examined in that probe, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The Journal previously reported that Mr. LaPierre received more than $200,000 in suits and other clothing paid for by a vendor—which people familiar with the matter now say was also Ackerman McQueen. NRA officials have said the spending was justified because of his numerous speaking and TV appearances.
The Ackerman McQueen letter was given to the NRA directors last week by then-NRA President Oliver North, who called for a crisis committee of the board to probe the travel costs and other allegations of financial mismanagement.
Mr. North left the group after he was accused by Mr. LaPierre of extorting him and pressuring him to resign over unspecified “accusations of wardrobe expenses and excessive staff travel expenses.”
In a statement Thursday, NRA director Marion Hammer said the travel-expense allegations were “part of the failed coup attempt” and have been properly vetted by the board.
Those defending Mr. North have said that he was doing his fiduciary duty by pushing for an internal probe of credible allegations brought to his attention. Mr. North hasn’t commented.
Mr. LaPierre’s disclosed compensation in 2017, the most recently reported year, was $1.4 million. He has headed the NRA since 1991.
Despite a decadeslong relationship, the NRA sued its ad firm last month for allegedly failing to provide records to justify its bills. Ackerman McQueen has called the suit frivolous and inaccurate.
Days after the lawsuit was filed, Ackerman McQueen sent Mr. LaPierre the letter, copied to others, saying it wasn’t able to provide records to the NRA justifying the more than $240,000 spent on Mr. LaPierre’s travel costs without documentation from him, the people said.
The letter said it was “imperative” that Mr. LaPierre provide the requested documentation, these people said.
The trip to Italy, one person familiar with the matter said, was tied to a short 2015 documentary feature on the Italian gun maker Beretta posted on NRATV. Mr. LaPierre’s wife, Susan LaPierre, appears in the video talking to a Beretta family member. Ms. LaPierre co-chairs the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum. She didn’t immediately respond to a message left with the NRA.
Elizabeth Kingsley, a Washington attorney who specializes in nonprofit law, said charging the travel costs to Ackerman McQueen could be justified if they were for NRA-related functions arranged by the ad firm.
If they were for personal travel, Ms. Kingsley said, “it looks like you’re hiding it” by routing the expenses through a vendor. That also would raise questions, she said, about whether Mr. LaPierre paid tax on the value of any personal travel benefits and whether the NRA’s board knew about the arrangement.
Ackerman McQueen separately sent another letter requesting backup records for about $450,000 in expenses it paid for related to travel by Tyler Schropp, the NRA’s top fundraising official, one person familiar with the matter said.
Those expenses included stays at luxury hotels, including Meadowood in California’s Napa Valley. As a fundraiser, Mr. Schropp must entertain wealthy donors.
Mr. Schropp didn’t return messages left with the NRA. The NRA didn’t respond to questions about the specifics of Mr. Schropp’s travel.
Ackerman McQueen didn’t directly charge the NRA for Mr. LaPierre’s wardrobe costs, which it began paying for about 15 years ago, according to the people familiar with the letter. Many of the expenses were incurred at a Beverly Hills, Calif., store that sells clothing by the Italian luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna, these people said.
Even if the wardrobe costs were justifiable, said Ms. Kingsley, the nonprofit attorney, “I worry about a vendor giving nice things to an executive who is deciding whether to keep the vendor.”
Nonprofits are supposed to be run in the best interests of the organization, not for the benefit of board members or executives, legal experts said. Under New York’s nonprofit law, among the toughest in the U.S., the attorney general could seek to remove directors or officers, and claw back as much as double any improperly obtained benefit.
yanici
NES Member
I'll bet that Wayne P's ears are red hot.
GOAL had its own crisis some years back. It went through a pretty traumatic and long overdue housecleaning.
Any organization where leadership stays too long can result in leadership caring more about themselves than their mission.
Palladin
NES Member
yup
Freddy B
NES Member
I say the same thing about my church. The priests should be rotated every 6 - 10 years. Instead it turns into a lifetime appointment, and they become entrenched in both the church and the community at large.
1) NRA is a money grubbing industry
2) I see NO evidence that they have even lifted a finger to help us fight gun restrictions here in MA
other than those...i guess they are ok.
Secret elections??? I thought the MEMBERS voted on who was president??
2) I see NO evidence that they have even lifted a finger to help us fight gun restrictions here in MA
other than those...i guess they are ok.
Secret elections??? I thought the MEMBERS voted on who was president??
babygorilla
NES Member
Except for the fact they are funding and supplying the lawyers in the Worman case?
Folks, come on. There are plenty of things to criticize the NRA for, but this isn’t one of them.
First, in a state with a strong state gun rights organization like GOAL, the NRA defers to the state organization. They come in and help when GOAL or Comm2A request their help, but otherwise let GOAL drive.
Second, due to the NRA’s reputation among liberals, the NRA being front and center in MA likely wouldn’t help us.
Third, the NRA can’t change the fact that most voters in MA are anti-gun and the legislature represents their views. The simple fact of the matter is that we don’t have the votes on Beacon Hill. The NRA could spend a ton of money in MA but that wouldn’t get us votes on Beacon Hill. It would be money wasted. The NRA wisely spends its money where it has a chance of winning.
citoriguy
NES Member
First off, it’s clear the NRA isn’t spending its money wisely. Second, I’m not asking for a wave of millions to flood the MA legislature, but they can, either by themselves or in conjunction with other groups, launch a calculated grassroots campaign.
With respect to the organization’s reputation with the left, getting rid of LaPierre would be a great step towards having a shot at a better dialogue.
“Calculated grassroots campaign”?
This is Massachusetts, not Ohio. Most people in MA are anti-gun. They may not be members of an antigun organization, but in general they think guns are bad if they think about them at all. And the NRA, in particular, is evil in their view.
I work in Cambridge, where employers encourage employees to indicate to their colleagues which pronouns they prefer (in case a man doesn’t to be referred to as “he/him”). No “calculated grassroots campaign” is going to turn these people to a pro-gun viewpoint.
The NRA doesn’t have a magic wand to wave to suddenly convince soccer moms within route 128 that modern sporting rifles are good and magazine bans are stupid. Those soccer moms see news stories about mass shootings and think that guns should be banned or at least more severely restricted.
Here in MA, the only thing that GOAL can do, with the NRA’s help, is to try to limit the damage. As long as voter opinions are what they are in MA, we will not get legislative relief. It will always be a rearguard action on Beacon Hill. And when GOAL reaches out to the NRA for support, they get it. But the NRA does not take point in the media because 1) they leave that to GOAL and 2) if they did it would be counterproductive.
The only hope we have in MA is in the federal courts, appealing to SCOTUS.
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Which is why he has to go. As I said, there are plenty of things to criticize the NRA for, and LaPierre’s salary is front and center. He needs to go and his successor shouldn’t be paid anywhere near that much.
citoriguy
NES Member
I work at a place where “non-binary” is an option for gender. I understand what you’re saying, but respectfully disagree. No sense in bitching at each other on an internet forum, especially when we’re both on the same side. If you’re in the Acton/Concord area, I’d buy you a beer and chat.
There is little a .org can do to win over the hearts and minds of the reluctant populace. A grassroots movement has to literally come from the roots of the grass. Gun owners need to set a good example and demonstrate the virtues of gun ownership. I send the letters to my representatives on the hill knowing full well they don't care and knowing full well I am wasting my time.
I work within my sphere of influence. The people I know and interact with and whom have a certain level of respect for me know that I own firearms. They know I carry for any lawful purpose. They know I have self loading rifles with detachable magazines.
They also know I am a very responsible gun owner. And a very responsible member of our community.
I find the biggest boost we as gun owners can make is to take an anti gun person out to the range and do some plinking with .22s at steel targets. Show them that our sport isn't about killing your co-workers but about having fun and being outdoors.
Once a month I try to bring someone to the range that doesn't own a firearm and show them what I love about the target sports. Everyone has been appreciative and some have been converted, at least a little.
But it is up to all of us to do at least a little. We can't expect the lobbyists and lawyers to save our way of life. We have to save it for ourselves.
I work within my sphere of influence. The people I know and interact with and whom have a certain level of respect for me know that I own firearms. They know I carry for any lawful purpose. They know I have self loading rifles with detachable magazines.
They also know I am a very responsible gun owner. And a very responsible member of our community.
I find the biggest boost we as gun owners can make is to take an anti gun person out to the range and do some plinking with .22s at steel targets. Show them that our sport isn't about killing your co-workers but about having fun and being outdoors.
Once a month I try to bring someone to the range that doesn't own a firearm and show them what I love about the target sports. Everyone has been appreciative and some have been converted, at least a little.
But it is up to all of us to do at least a little. We can't expect the lobbyists and lawyers to save our way of life. We have to save it for ourselves.
come on don't think any of you would mind snuggling up to dana loesch
https://www.google.com/podcasts?fee...e=N2RiOTNmOTRkYTU3NGE4ODg0ZWRjODE0ZTA3YTQ2ZWY
Kenn Blanchard's take on the NRA situation. I do respect the man and his opinion.
Kenn Blanchard's take on the NRA situation. I do respect the man and his opinion.
boilermaker
NES Member
Leaked Letters Reveal Details of NRA Chief’s Alleged Spending
Leaked Letters Reveal Details of NRA Chief’s Alleged Spending
Wayne LaPierre expensed $39,000 in clothes in one day, $18,300 for car and driver, ad agency says; NRA says board has ‘full confidence’ in him
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre allegedly billed the group’s ad agency for shopping at a Beverly Hills clothing agency and a car and driver in Europe. The NRA said it had full confidence in Mr. LaPierre.
By
Mark Maremont
May 11, 2019 2:00 p.m. ET
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre billed the group’s ad agency $39,000 for one day of shopping at a Beverly Hills clothing boutique, $18,300 for a car and driver in Europe, and had the agency cover $13,800 in rent for a summer intern, according to newly revealed NRA internal documents.
The documents, posted anonymously on the internet, provide new details of the clothing, travel and other expenses totaling more than $542,000 that Ackerman McQueen Inc. alleges Mr. LaPierre billed to it.
The travel expenses allegedly include more than $200,000 in “Air Transportation” costs during a one-month period in late 2012 and early 2013, in part related to a two-week trip over Christmas to the Bahamas by Mr. LaPierre.
The additional details behind the ad agency’s claims comes as Mr. LaPierre faces internal scrutiny at the NRA over his expenses amid an extraordinary falling-out between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen.
The NRA released a statement from Carolyn Meadows, its new president, who said the “entire board is fully aware of these issues. We have full confidence in Wayne LaPierre.” She added that “it is troubling and pathetic that some people would resort to leaking information to advance their agendas.”
Mr. LaPierre didn’t respond to a request for comment sent through the NRA.
The LaPierre expense documents posted on the internet appeared to be genuine, a person familiar with the originals told The Wall Street Journal.
The allegations come as the nonprofit gun-rights group is grappling with a new investigation into its financial dealings with insiders and other matters by the New York attorney general.
“It’s time for a change in leadership” at the NRA, said Shawn Herrin, an NRA member who runs a gun-oriented podcast company and aired some of the allegations about Mr. LaPierre’s spending last week.
The documents consist of letters and attachments sent last month to the NRA’s board by the organization’s then-President Oliver North. Mr. North wrote that the allegations “suggest financial impropriety” and he was forming a crisis management committee to examine those and other matters.
Mr. North was forced out after Mr. LaPierre accused him of trying to use the allegations to extort him into resigning. Those defending Mr. North have said he was doing his fiduciary duty as an officer of a nonprofit. Mr. North hasn’t commented.
An NRA attorney, William A. Brewer III, previously has said the vast majority of Mr. LaPierre’s travel expenses charged to the ad firm were for “donor outreach, fundraising and stakeholder engagement” and were being reviewed by the board. The NRA also has said Mr. LaPierre’s clothing expenses were justified due to his many public appearances.
Attached to Mr. North’s correspondence were two letters dated April 22 to Mr. LaPierre from Ackerman McQueen, the NRA’s longtime ad agency. Despite a decadeslong relationship, the NRA sued Ackerman last month, accusing it of failing to justify its billing.
The Journal previously reported on the Ackerman McQueen letters and their allegations about Mr. LaPierre’s clothing and travel expenses, but the new documents provide fresh details.
In the letters, Ackerman McQueen wrote Mr. LaPierre that it couldn’t provide detail on clothing and travel expenses it incurred for the NRA chief without more information from him.
“We need to address your wardrobe you required us to provide, specifically purchases at the Zegna store in Beverly Hills, CA,” one letter from Ackerman said. It attached a list of purchases between 2004 and 2017 that totaled $274,695.03. On two dates, Mr. LaPierre’s purchases exceeded $39,000.
The other letter asked Mr. LaPierre for detailed records backing up $267,460.53 of travel and rent expenses that Mr. LaPierre billed to Ackerman, which said it in turn billed to the NRA.
They included a trip to Italy and Budapest in 2014, where the listed expenses included $6,500 for lodging at the Four Seasons hotel; $2,400 for a stay at the luxury Castadiva Resort on Italy’s Lake Como; $17,550 for “Air Charter” between Budapest and the Italian city of Brescia; and nearly $18,300 for a car and driver in both countries.
There was also a charge of $1,096 for “Frankfurt Airport Assistance.”
The letter also listed air transportation charges of almost $40,000 from Washington to the Bahamas on Dec. 17, 2012, and $29,000 from the Bahamas to Dallas on Jan. 3, 2013.
As for the summer intern, Ackerman wrote that Mr. LaPierre “required we rent “ her an apartment and requested that Mr. LaPierre provide details about his business relationship to the young woman.
Nonprofits are supposed to be run in the best interests of the organization, not for the benefit of board members or executives, legal experts said. Under New York’s nonprofit law, among the toughest in the U.S., the attorney general could seek to remove directors or officers, and claw back as much as double any improperly obtained benefit.
Leaked Letters Reveal Details of NRA Chief’s Alleged Spending
Wayne LaPierre expensed $39,000 in clothes in one day, $18,300 for car and driver, ad agency says; NRA says board has ‘full confidence’ in him
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre allegedly billed the group’s ad agency for shopping at a Beverly Hills clothing agency and a car and driver in Europe. The NRA said it had full confidence in Mr. LaPierre.
By
Mark Maremont
May 11, 2019 2:00 p.m. ET
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre billed the group’s ad agency $39,000 for one day of shopping at a Beverly Hills clothing boutique, $18,300 for a car and driver in Europe, and had the agency cover $13,800 in rent for a summer intern, according to newly revealed NRA internal documents.
The documents, posted anonymously on the internet, provide new details of the clothing, travel and other expenses totaling more than $542,000 that Ackerman McQueen Inc. alleges Mr. LaPierre billed to it.
The travel expenses allegedly include more than $200,000 in “Air Transportation” costs during a one-month period in late 2012 and early 2013, in part related to a two-week trip over Christmas to the Bahamas by Mr. LaPierre.
The additional details behind the ad agency’s claims comes as Mr. LaPierre faces internal scrutiny at the NRA over his expenses amid an extraordinary falling-out between the NRA and Ackerman McQueen.
The NRA released a statement from Carolyn Meadows, its new president, who said the “entire board is fully aware of these issues. We have full confidence in Wayne LaPierre.” She added that “it is troubling and pathetic that some people would resort to leaking information to advance their agendas.”
Mr. LaPierre didn’t respond to a request for comment sent through the NRA.
The LaPierre expense documents posted on the internet appeared to be genuine, a person familiar with the originals told The Wall Street Journal.
The allegations come as the nonprofit gun-rights group is grappling with a new investigation into its financial dealings with insiders and other matters by the New York attorney general.
“It’s time for a change in leadership” at the NRA, said Shawn Herrin, an NRA member who runs a gun-oriented podcast company and aired some of the allegations about Mr. LaPierre’s spending last week.
The documents consist of letters and attachments sent last month to the NRA’s board by the organization’s then-President Oliver North. Mr. North wrote that the allegations “suggest financial impropriety” and he was forming a crisis management committee to examine those and other matters.
Mr. North was forced out after Mr. LaPierre accused him of trying to use the allegations to extort him into resigning. Those defending Mr. North have said he was doing his fiduciary duty as an officer of a nonprofit. Mr. North hasn’t commented.
An NRA attorney, William A. Brewer III, previously has said the vast majority of Mr. LaPierre’s travel expenses charged to the ad firm were for “donor outreach, fundraising and stakeholder engagement” and were being reviewed by the board. The NRA also has said Mr. LaPierre’s clothing expenses were justified due to his many public appearances.
Attached to Mr. North’s correspondence were two letters dated April 22 to Mr. LaPierre from Ackerman McQueen, the NRA’s longtime ad agency. Despite a decadeslong relationship, the NRA sued Ackerman last month, accusing it of failing to justify its billing.
The Journal previously reported on the Ackerman McQueen letters and their allegations about Mr. LaPierre’s clothing and travel expenses, but the new documents provide fresh details.
In the letters, Ackerman McQueen wrote Mr. LaPierre that it couldn’t provide detail on clothing and travel expenses it incurred for the NRA chief without more information from him.
“We need to address your wardrobe you required us to provide, specifically purchases at the Zegna store in Beverly Hills, CA,” one letter from Ackerman said. It attached a list of purchases between 2004 and 2017 that totaled $274,695.03. On two dates, Mr. LaPierre’s purchases exceeded $39,000.
The other letter asked Mr. LaPierre for detailed records backing up $267,460.53 of travel and rent expenses that Mr. LaPierre billed to Ackerman, which said it in turn billed to the NRA.
They included a trip to Italy and Budapest in 2014, where the listed expenses included $6,500 for lodging at the Four Seasons hotel; $2,400 for a stay at the luxury Castadiva Resort on Italy’s Lake Como; $17,550 for “Air Charter” between Budapest and the Italian city of Brescia; and nearly $18,300 for a car and driver in both countries.
There was also a charge of $1,096 for “Frankfurt Airport Assistance.”
The letter also listed air transportation charges of almost $40,000 from Washington to the Bahamas on Dec. 17, 2012, and $29,000 from the Bahamas to Dallas on Jan. 3, 2013.
As for the summer intern, Ackerman wrote that Mr. LaPierre “required we rent “ her an apartment and requested that Mr. LaPierre provide details about his business relationship to the young woman.
Nonprofits are supposed to be run in the best interests of the organization, not for the benefit of board members or executives, legal experts said. Under New York’s nonprofit law, among the toughest in the U.S., the attorney general could seek to remove directors or officers, and claw back as much as double any improperly obtained benefit.
IMHO The NRA is really f***ed up, but the "wah, what have you done for me, in MA, a moonbat shithole state, please halp!" argument is probably the weakest one of all.
Even if the NRA wasn't garbage it still wouldn't spend money here (especially not on lobbying) because that's basically setting cash on fire. Math always wins and we do not have enough votes to dramatically change anything. Most of the licensed people in this state are moonbats/fakeservatives/etc. themselves, don't forget. (we see this right here on the forum where we get people knob polishing the licensing process or considering licensing as being normal, etc. )
I think perhaps, you're not aware of the full gravity of the legislative problem here in MA. When MA passed ERPO, a total of ONE guy voted against it in the senate. The guy from my district. (Dean Tran). The rest of the dbags all voted for it in a nanosecond, without even thinking about it. Also, ALL of the powerbrokers that move bills in our legislature are ALL 110% shit eating moonbats. They will laugh at our "grassroots" bill as they quietly make sure it doesn't even make it out of committee.
Also, to put it another way, what do you think NRA members would feel in the 40 something other states about the NRA spending lobbying money in states that are considered a lost
cause? If members voted on it, they would vote against it unanimously, unless it was for something like legal defense/lawsuits against these states... (which the NRA does on occasion).
-Mike
citoriguy
NES Member
As these reports continue to come to light, more and more on the left are smelling blood in the water.
Mike - I am acutely aware of the legislative considerations staring down the 2A group. Again, I’m not asking for a substantial sum to come in to MA. Some more support for GOAL and Comm2A would be nice though.
Mike - I am acutely aware of the legislative considerations staring down the 2A group. Again, I’m not asking for a substantial sum to come in to MA. Some more support for GOAL and Comm2A would be nice though.
It could end up being more of a nightmare than a dream for them if Wayne gets kicked to the curb and someone with some brass balls takes the helm.
Worst case scenario for us is he hangs on like a tick till there's no blood left.
GM-GUY
NES Member
Told them the same thing when I got the call a half hour ago.
Col. Allen West, NRA board member, no longer supports Wayne LaPierre, says NRA president and audit committee member are lying about briefing the rest of the board: NRA board member: 'Imperative' to clean house, move on from CEO Wayne LaPierre
I bet he won’t be on the “recommended list” in the next election cycle...
KBCraig
NES Member
Of course, you're just talking to some call center worker who only has NO/YES/AMOUNT available on their computer scripts. Your message never reaches the NRA.
