Powerful NRA chief LaPierre resigns ahead of New York corruption trial

By Daniel Trotta and Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -Wayne LaPierre resigned as leader of the National Rifle Association on Friday, ending a long career during which the NRA became one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, only to see its prestige tarnished by corruption allegations and a bankruptcy filing.

LaPierre, 74, chief executive since 1991, steps down just as New York state Attorney General Letitia James brings a corruption trial against the NRA, due to begin in state Supreme Court on Monday. He is among four individual defendants in the case, and is expected to testify.

The NRA has long accused James of targeting it for political purposes, and violating the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment for trying to silence its speech.

The group cited health reasons for LaPierre’s resignation, saying his longtime communications chief, Andrew Arulanandam, would replace him as CEO and executive vice president on an interim basis.

LaPierre helped build the NRA into a political powerhouse that has led efforts in Washington and in statehouses to expand gun rights under the Second Amendment of the Constitution, successfully fighting off attempts at gun control even as the number of mass shootings mounted across the country.

The trial set for a Manhattan courtroom on Monday apparently will proceed without delay, as James said on X, “We look forward to presenting our case in court.”

LaPierre was in the courtroom all week as jurors were being selected for the trial, a person familiar with the matter said.

“The end of the Wayne LaPierre era at the NRA is an important victory in our case. LaPierre’s resignation validates our claims against him, but it will not insulate him from accountability,” James said.

NRA counsel William Brewer also said the NRA was “prepared and ready” for trial.

“The NRA will defend its governance programs and its substantial efforts in support of the freedoms it fights to defend,” Brewer said in a statement, adding that the board accepted LaPierre’s resignation “with an outpouring of admiration for all he’s done to defend freedom.”

Gun control advocates celebrated the resignation.

Kris Brown, president of the gun violence prevention group Brady, mockingly said, “Thoughts and prayers to Wayne LaPierre,” in reference to a phrase often repeated by those who show support for victims of mass shootings but decline to call for stricter gun laws.

Nick Suplina, senior vice president of Everytown and a former adviser to Attorney General James, said he expects the NRA to continue its current path because Arulanandam and the senior leadership have been LaPierre loyalists.

“Ten years after the NRA was an absolute political juggernaut and struck fear in the hearts of legislators in Washington and in states across the country, they are a shell of what they once were,” Suplina said. “They are not in a position to be particularly politically relevant in 2024 because their brand is so damaged.”

NRA revenue has slid 44% since 2016, a court filing shows, as membership has slumped in recent years. Once as high as 5.5 million, membership was down to 4.2 million in September 2021, said former NRA board member Phil Journey, who said the board was briefed on membership.

“We were shedding 1,000 members a day, net, at that time. It’s probably less than 4 million now,” said Journey, who was left off the board after he cast the lone vote against reappointing LaPierre during the NRA’s annual meeting last year.

Despite the legal and financial troubles, LaPierre was easily reelected last year by the 76-member board, a reflection of his fundraising and legislative success over the years.

The group’s ability to rebound may depend on how well it fares in the upcoming trial.

James sued the NRA in August 2020, saying it diverted millions of dollars to fund luxuries for top officials, including travel expenses for LaPierre to several resorts.

James had previously sought to shut down the NRA, but the judge rejected that effort in March 2022.

The NRA had in January 2021 filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas, as part of a strategy to reorganize there and escape James’ probe, but a bankruptcy judge dismissed that case.