Oliver North who was recently made the President of the National Rifle Association said he would not be serving a second term. He was apparently trying to force out Wayne LaPierre the long time public face of the group through extortion. He was also complaining about the NRA’s finances. Looks like North failed to force LaPierre out which is why he’s leaving.
AP:
Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North said Saturday that he will not serve a second term as the president of the National Rifle Association amid inner turmoil in the gun-rights group.
In a statement read to members of the group Saturday, North said he believes a committee should be set up to review the NRA’s finances. North was not present at the meeting when the statement was read by Richard Childress, the NRA’s first vice president.
“There is a clear crisis and it needs to be dealt with” if the NRA is to survive, North’s statement said.
His announcement came after an effort by some members to force out top executive Wayne LaPierre, who has long been the public face of the group.
LaPierre sent a letter to board members Thursday saying that North was trying to push him out by threatening to release “damaging” information about him to the board.
North, best known for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, is nearing the end of his first one-year term. His announcement that he will not serve a second term is a clear sign that his efforts to force out LaPierre have failed.
LaPierre got two standing ovations from the crowd of more than 1,000 NRA members before giving a scheduled speech after North’s announcement. He began by using standard NRA talking points, going after the mainstream media and lawmakers who seek to restrict gun rights. He did not mention his feud with North.
I’m not sure why the NRA thought it was smart to bring in somebody like North to be their President. North was the most prominent figure in the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s and was involved in all sorts of dirty shit.
He was only able to rehabilitate his image years later by becoming a “conservative” pundit on Fox News.
The bottom line is that the NRA should have never put this clown in such a prominent position. He was only there to cause trouble and it’s good that he’s on the way out.
