The longtime head of the US National Rifle Association has said he is resigning, just days before the start of a civil trial over allegations he diverted millions of dollars from the powerful gun rights organisation to pay for personal travel and other lavish perks.
Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president and chief executive officer, said his departure is effective from January 31.
The trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against him, the NRA and others who have served as organisation executives is scheduled to start on Monday. Mr LaPierre and ex-NRA president Oliver North are among the witnesses expected to give evidence.
Mr LaPierre, 74, has led the NRA’s day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as the face and vehement voice of its gun rights agenda.
He once warned of “jack-booted government thugs” seizing guns, called for armed guards in every school after a spate of shootings, and condemned foes backing gun control measures as “opportunists” who “exploit tragedy for gain”.
The NRA has been beset by dwindling membership and financial troubles, along with questions about Mr LaPierre’s leadership and spending. One of Mr LaPierre’s top lieutenants, Andrew Arulanandam, will assume his roles on an interim basis, the organisation said.
Phillip Journey, a former NRA board member who is set to give evidence at the upcoming trial in New York, said Mr LaPierre’s resignation does not resolve the open questions before the court nor remedy what he sees as persistent rot within the gun lobbying group.
“Honestly, the grifters are a snake with many heads and this is just one,” said Mr Journey, a Kansas judge who is running to retake a seat on the NRA’s board.
Mr Journey also testified at the NRA’s bankruptcy trial in Texas and said he anticipates there is enough evidence for the New York attorney general to prove her case.
“It’s a tragic end to a career that had many high points,” Mr Journey said of Mr LaPierre stepping down. “It’s one of his own making.”
“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” Mr LaPierre said in a statement released by the organisation. “I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organisation for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever.”
Ms James, a Democrat, accuses LaPierre and other executives of illegally diverting tens of millions of dollars from the NRA and spending organisation funds on personal trips, no-show contracts and other questionable expenditures.
Mr LaPierre is accused in the lawsuit of spending millions on private jet flights and personal security and accepting expensive gifts — such as African safaris — from vendors.
He is also accused of setting himself up with a 17 million-dollar (£13 million) contract with the NRA if he were to leave the organisation, spending NRA money on travel consultants, luxury car services, and private jet flights for himself and his family — including more than 500,000 dollars (£393,000) on eight trips to the Bahamas over a three-year span.
Ms James is seeking to ban LaPierre and the other executives from serving in leadership positions of any not-for-profit or charitable organisation conducting business in New York, which would effectively remove them from any involvement with the NRA.
Mr LaPierre has defended himself, saying in previous evidence that cruising the Bahamas on a yacht was a “security retreat” because he was facing threats after mass shootings.
He conceded not reporting the trips on conflict-of-interest forms, testifying: “It’s one of the mistakes I’ve made.”
