Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, has announced his resignation days before the start of a civil corruption trial in which he's being accused of "gross negligence for allegedly diverting millions from the NRA for personal use, including for designer clothes, private planes and luxury goods," according to ABC.
"With pride in all that we have accomplished, I am announcing my resignation from the NRA," LaPierre said in a statement, citing "health reasons" as being his cause for stepping down effective January 31. "I've been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend Second Amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever."
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is overseeing LaPierre's trial after a three-year investigation into the NRA in August 2020, issued a statement of her own on the curiously timed resignation, saying, "While the end of the Wayne LaPierre era is an important victory in our case, our push for accountability continues. LaPierre's resignation validates our claims against him, but it will not insulate him or the NRA from accountability. All charities in New York state must adhere to the rule of law, and my office will not tolerate gross mismanagement or top executives funneling millions into their own pockets."
