OLIVER NORTH TO BE NEW NRA PRESIDENT

He was convicted on 3 charges in connection with Iran-Contra arms sale

OLIVER North, a key figure in the Iran-Contra arms sale scandal under United States president Ronald Reagan, is set to become the next National Rifle Association (NRA) president.

North was convicted on three charges in connection with the Iran-Contra scheme, under which money from arms sales to Teheran was funnelled to rebels in Nicaragua, but the convictions were later overturned.

NRA said that its board had approved North’s candidacy on Monday and that he would take over as president in the next few weeks, after Pete Brownell chose not to seek a second term.

“North is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader,” NRA executive vice-president and chief executive officer Wayne LaPierre said. “In these times, I can think of no one better suited to serve as our president.”

“This is the most exciting news for our members since Charlton Heston became president of our association,” LaPierre said, referring to the Hollywood star who held the post from 1998 to 2003.

After retiring from the US Marine Corps as a lieutenant colonel, North, 74, authored several bestselling books and worked as a conservative commentator on Fox News. He is leaving Fox effective immediately, according to NRA.

While assigned to the National Security Council in the 1980s, North was involved in the IranContra affair, an international arms sale scandal about which he lied to Congress.

Weapons were sold to Iran “in contravention of stated US policy and in possible violation of armsexport controls”, according to a report on the scandal, a move Reagan administration officials hoped would help facilitate the release of Americans held hostage in civil war-racked Lebanon.

Money from the weapons sales was funnelled to the Contras — US-backed rebels who were fighting Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista government — despite a congressional prohibition on such aid.

North became a household name, spending days before a joint congressional committee tasked with investigating the scandal and admitting he had lied to Congress about his involvement in it.