We're in trouble.
Ain't no doubt And now I'm stuck watching these three.
And it's so hard, babysitting these guys.
And these guys started to chase us!
And we all got hijacked.
Ha, we ain't got a nickel And you outta luck
And it's so hard!
(It's so hard) Babysitting these guys.
I've got the babysitting blues
Hello Liberty Fam and welcome back to the channel.
Today I have another update in the ongoing NRA lawsuit saga, which I’ve covered in
two or three videos already that I’ll link in the cards throughout this video.
The crazy thing is, this new update…makes sense.
Maybe not the babysitting part, but the part saying LaPierre needs to pay back the NRA
and should be fired immediately - that’s pretty legit.
First, here’s a quick review on what happened in seasons 1 and 2 of “The NRA is a big
fat mess.”
Long story short, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been going after the NRA
for a few years now, trying all different ways to break up the organization.
In the process, the NRA’s finances went public and showed Wayne LaPierre and his closest
buddies with their hands in the cookie jar, over, and over, and over.
So instead of having NRA money going towards, I dunno, fighting gun control, it was going
to Wayne’s new suits and shopping sprees and fancy hotels and private jets and family
vacations.
Plus gifts and kick backs to friends and family members that helped keep the finances hush
hush.
When the info got out and board members complained about it, they got booted out of the organization,
which has helped Wayne maintain his spot at the wheel despite the metric shit ton of dirty
laundry surrounding him.
Tens of millions of dollars worth of dirty laundry.
Enough, perhaps, to fill the 107-foot yacht he used during the 8 trips he and his family
took to the Bahamas on the NRA dime.
Eventually, James filed to dissolve the NRA completely.
To try and get out of some of the litigation, the NRA filed for bankruptcy in an attempt
to move themselves out of New York.
Though we have some fun new details about that one if you keep watching.
A judge blocked that attempt, basically saying, “yeah, we see you trying to get out of that
lawsuit” and ruled that the bankruptcy wasn’t filed in good faith.
In March, the New York Supreme Court refused James’s request to dissolve the NRA, ruling
that it would harm NRA members and the public more than it would help them.
The courts did, however, say the lawsuit against LaPierre’s misuse of funds could continue.
And that brings us all the way up to today’s video - which, by the way, is brought to you
with the help of Palmetto State Armory, which a little birdie told me has some great gear
and freedom seeds on sale right now.
To check out all their gear and help the channel, use the link down in the description.
The newest developments were initially reported by The Trace, so you know the details are
pretty ugly.
When her promise to dissolve the NRA was shot down, James filed an amended complaint, this
time to request the appointment of an independent monitor to babysit the NRA and their finances.
This would take the form of both an “independent compliance officer” that would report to
her, her office, and the courts, AND a separate “independent governance expert” to help
reform the organization.
What could possibly go wrong?
But that’s not all.
It also holds LaPierre and his cronies liable for ALL the misused funds and demands they
pay restitution or damages, plus interest.
Including...their salaries.
They...would have to pay back their salaries.
It also would forcibly remove LaPierre from his position and prevent him from being re-elected
or re-appointed to any position of power within the NRA ever again.
And the best part?
The lawsuit points to the fact that LaPierre is still in charge as proof that these babysitters,
and restitution, are needed.
I mean honestly - she's got a point with this one.
Just saying.
The complaints in the lawsuit are, unfortunately, completely valid, very damning, and echo the
complaints of many members since this whole thing came to light.
The 182 page lawsuit lists almost 500 bullet points of legal violations, including everything
I covered in past videos, plus new things that have come to light, like the way LaPierre
used NRA funds to pay for his golf club membership, rig internal elections, and even give himself
unlimited power within the organization.
We also learned about the chief of staff diverting $30,000 a month to his wife, handlers that
carried previously unaccounted for cash for tipping, and the fact that, when the scandal
broke in 2019, the Board mysteriously voted to give LaPierre a $455,00 bonus on top of
his $1.2 million salary - and on top of the millions of dollars he was already embezzling.
And then it all kept happening, even after everyone involved was caught red handed.
All of this has culminated into the charges in this, and the previous lawsuits, and have
threatened the NRA’s status as a nonprofit, and almost resulted in it completely imploding.
Wheeeee!
City and State New York sums it up nicely:
“The NRA failed to supervise or take disciplinary action against its leadership over the allegedly
illegal spending, her office wrote in the amended complaint.
Court documents also state that the organization lied to the state Attorney General’s office
and failed to comply with whistleblower protections and conflict-of-interest laws, among other
alleged infractions.
For example, James’ office said LaPierre turned on the NRA president when he began
to investigate whistleblower claims related to the questionable finances and structure
of the organization.
The NRA also allegedly hid reimbursement requests for travel and meal expenses for LaPierre
and his former chief of staff Joshua Powell – along with justifications for the reimbursements
– to avoid reporting them as part of their taxable income.”
The final bullet point in the laundry list of
infractions is especially important, as it gives James the ammo to go after LaPierre
individually.
“Despite a conflict of interest and his lack of authority to do so, LaPierre unilaterally
determined to place the NRA into bankruptcy to evade a regulatory action in which he was
named as a defendant.
That bankruptcy, which was dismissed for lack of good faith, cost the NRA tens of millions
of dollars in attorneys’ fees, payments to proposed restructuring officers, costs
relating to special board meetings necessitated by the filing, and other expenses.
LaPierre continues in his leadership position.”
This is also where we learn just how dirty this attempt at bankruptcy was:
“The full NRA Board did not approve the bankruptcy filing before the filing
occurred.
LaPierre made the decision to put the NRA into bankruptcy without consulting with
anyone outside of the Brewer firm and the three members of the Special Litigation Committee
(SLC).
He did this despite the conflict of interest presented by his being named a defendant in
this pending regulatory enforcement action.”
“The NRA never notified the full Board of its intention to file for bankruptcy before
the filing occurred.
In fact, several board members, after learning of the bankruptcy filing, asserted
that they were not informed at the January 7, 2021 meeting of the NRA’s intentions
to file for bankruptcy or to use the 2021 Employment Agreement
to authorize LaPierre to file for bankruptcy protection.
One Board member who received notice from Frazer on January 15 of the NRA’s
bankruptcy filing that day emailed Frazer in response: “Am I to assume that no one
thought this worthy of discussion when the board was assembled
eight days ago?””
Also, it turns out, not only did he not inform the board, he didn’t inform any officers
or directors, either.
The current treasurer wasn’t even told, and learned instead from a company-wide memo
after the fact.
This was pure, 100% USDA Wayne LaPierre.
Here are the paragraphs relating to LaPierre’s damages:
“LaPierre breached his fiduciary duties of loyalty, care and obedience to the NRA
by using his powers as an officer and ex officio director of the NRA to obtain illegal compensation
and benefits, to convert NRA funds for his own benefit, and to dominate, control, and
direct the NRA to obtain private benefit for himself, his family members and for certain
other insiders, including Defendants Phillips and Powell in contravention of NRA bylaws,
policies and procedures, and applicable laws.
“Accordingly, LaPierre is liable to account and pay restitution and/or damages, including
returning the salary he received while breaching his fiduciary duties to the NRA, plus interest
at the statutory rate of 9%, and rescission of any agreements providing for compensation
following his employment as Executive Vice President of the NRA.”
Another paragraph, further on, would bar LaPierre from serving in any non-profit or charitable
organization in New York ever again.
There are similar paragraphs to the same effect for LaPierre’s chief of staff Joshua Powell,
his general counsel John Frazer, and former treasurer and chief financial officer Wilson
“Woody” Phillips.
Finally, the lawsuit would require the NRA to adopt and maintain a policy to protect
whistleblowers within the organization.
And in doing so, would also require every officer, director, and trustee who retaliated
against previous whistleblowers to also be removed from their posts.
The paying restitution plus 9% is an odd flex, because the lawsuit alleges tens of millions
of dollars in wrongdoing, so paying it all back would result in…tens of millions of
dollars in funding for the NRA.
Despite previously lobbying to have the entire organization dissolved, this would instead
make her the largest non-compensated fund raiser the NRA has ever seen.
The only catch would be that it would also prevent the NRA from fundraising in New York,
due to some tricky wording in paragraph 704:
“As a result, the NRA and Frazer violated Section 172-d(1) of the Executive Law
and, pursuant to Section 175(2)(d) of the Executive Law should be enjoined from soliciting
or collecting funds on behalf of any charitable organization operating in this State and Frazer,
separately, would be prevented from being an officer.
"
Note, that paragraph says the NRA AND Frazer would not be able to fundraise, not just Frazer
as an individual.
Part of me kind of feels bad to be cheering for this stuff, but at this point, LaPierre
and his little bffs made their beds, and now need to lie in them.
There were countless calls for Wayne to step down and for the organization to be cleaned
up, from videos like this one, videos from other creators, lifelong members, board members,
officers, it didn't matter - it all fell on deaf ears, and now here we are.
Even all the new policies put in place to try and repair the damage, it turns out, were
fake.
There needs to be accountability, and so far the NRA has proven it can’t do it itself.
It just really sucks that it took a lawsuit from a gun grabber in New York to make it
all happen.
And now that I've got that off my chest, that is it for today's video, please like, share,
and subscribe if you're new here.
Drop a comment down below, contact the NRA, if you still think that might work.
Who knows, it hasn't worked yet, but maybe there's a miracle somewhere in the wings.
And if you liked this video and what I do here, you can check out the description for
all kinds of other ways to help support the channel besides the algorithm, button-pressing
things.
And, as always, thanks for tuning in, stay safe, and happy shooting.
Except Wayne LaPierre.
Right now he can go f*ck himself.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2022/05/new-york-ag-letitia-james-seeks-nra-babysitter/366529/ https://www.thetrace.org/newsletter/nra-letitia-james-new-york-attorney-general-monitor/
https://nraindanger.wordpress.com/2022/05/03/second-amended-complaint-filed-in-ny-suit/
Here are a few highlights from the 182 page document, filed on May 2nd:
“Efforts to question or challenge LaPierre’s leadership are quashed or ignored.
For example, LaPierre retaliated against the NRA
President after personally lobbying him to take on
the position.
LaPierre withdrew his critical support after the President began to independently
assess the governance of the NRA upon learning of complaints by whistleblowers, senior staff
and donors.
Senior members of the NRA’s financial staff jointly made a formal whistleblower
complaint to the Audit Committee of the NRA Board in 2018 itemizing numerous practices
that abused NRA assets.
Employees also complained about Powell’s practices and behavior - Powell being LaPierre’s
chief of staff - , which LaPierre, himself, described as “abusive.”
But these complaints were never properly investigated or meaningfully addressed.
Defendants failed to comply with, maintain, and ensure compliance with whistleblower policies
consistent with New York law and permitted or personally retaliated against those who
questioned their wrongdoing.”
Also, it turns out, all those dissidents were either ousted from their positions or assignments,
or resigned under mysterious circumstances.
The lawsuit continues,
“As a result of these failures, the NRA, at the direction of the Individual Defendants
and with a series of failures of required oversight by its Board, has persistently engaged
in illegal and unauthorized activities in the conduct and transaction of its business.
Individual Defendants— in their roles as officers and directors—routinely circumvented
internal controls; condoned or partook in expenditures that were an inappropriate and
wasteful use of charitable assets; and concealed or misreported relevant information—made
possible by the Board’s negligent oversight of management—rendering the NRA’s annual
reports filed with the Attorney General materially false and misleading.
The original complaint provided the Defendants with detailed factual allegations about the
NRA’s past and ongoing governance failures.
Despite having this information, the Defendants and
the Board failed to take appropriate action to investigate the allegations and failed
to adequately remediate identified deficiencies.
And in January 2021, LaPierre, with the knowledge and approval of a small group of loyalists
but without the knowledge or approval of the full Board, filed a petition
under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in Texas in an attempt to evade litigation
with a trial that cost the NRA tens of millions of dollars in legal fees and other costs…”