N.Y. attorney general takes aim at NRA over alleged corruption
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general sued the National Rifle Association on Thursday, seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organization out of business over claims that top executives illegally diverted tens of millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, noshow contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures.
Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, filed in Manhattan state court, highlighted misspending and self-dealing claims that have roiled the NRA and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, in recent years — from hair and makeup for his wife to a $17 million postemployment contract for himself.
Simultaneously, Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine — like James, a Democrat — sued the NRA Foundation, a charitable arm of the organization, accusing it of diverting funds to the NRA to help pay for lavish spending by top executives.
In a statement, NRA President Carolyn Meadows labeled James a “political opportunist” pursuing a “rank vendetta” with an attack on its members’ Second Amendment rights.