Page 2 - aruba-today-20190429

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 29 april 2019

Oliver North out as NRA president after leadership dispute

By LISA MARIE PANE that will not happen," North adjourn and pushed to
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Oli- said in a statement that question the board about
ver North announced Sat- was read by Richard Chil- controversies involving its fi-
urday that he would not dress, the NRA's first vice nancial management, the
serve a second term as president, to members at relationship with its long-
National Rifle Association the group's annual con- time public relations firm
president, making it clear vention. and details of what North
he had been forced out by North, whose one-year sought to raise about al-
the gun lobby's leadership term ends Monday, did not leged misspending, sexual
after his own failed attempt show up for the meeting, harassment and other mis-
to remove the NRA's long- and his spot on the stage management.
time CEO in a burgeoning was left empty, his name- But those cries were
divide over the group's fi- plate still in its place. His drowned out as some
nances and media opera- statement was largely met board members urged
tions. with silence. Wayne LaPi- such conversations not to
"Please know I hoped to In this Friday, April 26, 2019 photo, National Rifle Association erre, whom North had tried be held at such a large
be with you today as NRA President Col. Oliver North speaks at the National Rifle Associa- to push out, later received public forum, even if the
president endorsed for re- tion Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Lucas Oil two standing ovations. media were eventually dis-
election. I'm now informed Stadium in Indianapolis. It was a stunning conclu- charged from the room.
Associated Press
sion to a battle between "We don't want to give the
two conservative and other side any more infor-
Second Amendment ti- mation than they already
tans — North, the retired have," said Tom King, a
Marine lieutenant colonel board member from New
with a ramrod demeanor York for more than a de-
who was at the center of cade.
the Iran-Contra scandal Offered Marion Hammer, a
of the 1980s, and LaPierre, former NRA president and
who has been battle-test- longtime lobbyist from Flor-
ed in the decades since ida: "The life's blood of this
he took up the mantle of organization is on the line.
gun rights. He has fought We are under fire from with-
back challenges that have out. We do not need to be
arisen over the decades, under attack from within."
seemingly emerging un- The internal dispute first
scathed each time. In this spilled out in public after the
latest effort, he pushed NRA in recent weeks filed a
back against North, tell- lawsuit against Ackerman
ing members of the NRA's McQueen, the Oklahoma-
board of directors that based public relations firm
North had threatened to that has earned tens of
release "damaging" infor- millions of dollars in the de-
mation about him to them cades since it began shap-
and saying it amounted to ing the gun lobby's fierce
an "extortion" attempt. talking points. The NRA's
Hundreds of the NRA's es- lawsuit accuses Ackerman
timated 5 million members McQueen of refusing to
packed into the conven- hand over financial records
tion center in Indianapolis to account for its billings.
where the group's annual North has a $1 million con-
meetings were being held. tract with Ackerman Mc-
Near the end of the two- Queen, raising alarm bells
hour meeting, some mem- among some in the NRA
bers challenged efforts to about conflicts of interest.