Wayne LaPierre resigned as leader of the National Rifle Association, ending a career that saw it became one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, D.C., before its prestige was tarnished by graft accusations and a bankruptcy filing. LaPierre, 74, chief executive since 1991, ls leaving as a corruption trial involving the NRA begins Monday. New York Attorney General Letitia James had been seeking LaPierre's removal from office. He remains among three individual defendants and is expected to testify, Reuters reports.The NRA accuses 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 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 to expand gun rights under the Second Amendment, successfully fighting off attempts at gun control as the number of mass shootings mounted.
"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 said, "The NRA will defend its governance programs and its substantial efforts in support of the freedoms it fights to defend," Nick Suplina of Everytown 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. NRA revenue has dropped 44% since 2016 as membership has slumped. Once 5.5 million, membership was down to 4.2 million in September 2022. James sued the NRA in 2020, saying it diverted millions of dollars to fund luxuries for top officials, including travel expenses for LaPierre to several resorts.