Former NRA CEO Reveals Why He Resigned During Fraud Trial Brought By Letitia James
Ryan Meilstrup on January 30, 2024
National Rifle Association(NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre testified Tuesday that the reason he was resigning from his post was because he was diagnosed with late-stage Lyme disease, according to Stephen Gutkowski of The Reload.
The 74-year-old LaPierre, who announced his resignation effective Wednesday on Jan. 5 for health reasons, told a New York court that the disease affected his neural functioning and was a form of dementia, Gutkowski posted on X. LaPierre testified in the NRA fraud case brought by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James, that he was not diagnosed for four years and that doctors had ordered him to retire, according to Gutkowski.
James, who is also prosecuting former President Donald Trump in a civil fraud case, sued the gun-rights organization in August 2020, seeking the group’s dissolution. A New York judge, Joel M. Cohen, ruled that James could not seek dissolution of the NRA in March 2022. James made a number of statements that were hostile about the NRA during her 2018 campaign for attorney general. James claimed that LaPierre and other top executives at the NRA diverted “millions of dollars” for their personal use.
“With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA,” Wayne LaPierre said according to a release from the NRA announcing his decision to step down. “I’ve been a card-carrying member of this organization 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.”
Late-stage Lyme disease symptoms include difficulty concentrating, also called “brain fog,” which is a form of brain damage, as well as nerve damage or polyneuropathy, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
James vowed to “target the NRA” in a July 2018 release by her campaign, vowing to “investigate the legitimacy of the NRA as a charitable institution.” “The NRA is an organ of deadly propaganda masquerading as a charity for public good,” James claimed in the release.
“The NRA holds [itself] out as a charitable organization, but in fact, [it] really [is] a terrorist organization,” she told Ebony magazine.
LaPierre says he went undiagnosed for four years and his doctors insisted he retire because he risked having a serious medical episode.
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) January 30, 2024
During Tuesday’s proceedings, LaPierre also testified about several overseas safaris and trips, Gutkowski reported, saying he would not have taken them had it not been for a hunting show he was filming.
NRA general counsel John Frazer also testified Tuesday, saying he was appointed to the position after working as an attorney for two years, according to Gutkowski. Frazer also told the court he had been unaware of several major decisions, including the gun-rights group’s effort to file bankruptcy and re-incorporate in Texas, Gutkowski posted. (RELATED: ‘We Don’t Need Lectures’: Pence Rips Demands For Gun Control After Louisville, Nashville Shootings)
The bankruptcy court denied the NRA’s effort to file for Chapter 11 reorganization in May 2021, noting in its opinion “the NRA is financially healthy” and that the gun-rights organization “made progress since 2017 with its course correction.”
James and the NRA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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