NRA CEO and executive vice president Wayne LaPierre speaks at podium. (NRA)
The NRA, however, has long said the case was politically motivated by an attorney general who campaigned for the office by vowing to investigate and take on the NRA. James was elected to office in November 2018 and publicly slammed the NRA in the lead-up to her becoming New York’s chief law officer. While on the campaign trail, James called the group "an organ of deadly propaganda" and vowed to investigate whether the NRA could keep its charity status.
"The NRA is an organ of deadly propaganda masquerading as a charity for public good," James wrote in a campaign press release back in July 2018. "Its agenda is set by gun-makers who think arming teachers is a better idea than making it harder for kids to get military grade guns."
Weeks before her election, she described the NRA as "a terrorist organization" in comments to Ebony magazine, and "a criminal enterprise" in remarks to local New York media.
National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre speaks during the Leadership Forum at the NRA-ILA Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. ((AP Photo/Michael Wyke))
State attorneys argued during the trial that LaPierre spent roughly $11 million of NRA funds for private flights, about $500,000 on a handful of trips to the Bahamas, and "appearing to dole out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty."
LaPierre, who stepped down as NRA CEO and executive vice president last month after serving since 1991, said earlier in the trial he had made governance changes within the organization since 2021 and had paid about $300,000 back to the group. LaPierre’s attorney argued during the trial that the former NRA chief’s use of private flights was necessary for safety reasons due to his prominent national stature amid the acrimonious gun debate.
"This is a story made up by a person with an agenda that wanted him off the field," LaPierre’s attorney Kent Correll said Thursday in closing arguments.
New York Attorney General Letitia James spoke out against Target's decision to reign in its Pride Month merchandising following consumer complaints. ((Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images))
"If this case was so important, why wouldn't she be here?" he added, referring to James’ absence from the courtroom Thursday.
The NRA’s legal team argued during the trial that the organization worked to address any potential corruption when such issues were first raised by internal complaints.
"When the fraud was discovered, it dug in. It turned over the rocks it was told not to overturn," attorney Sarah Rogers said. "The NRA left no stone unturned."
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"If this was a case about corruption,"she added, "it wasn't by the NRA."
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