NRA board member Allen West urges CEO LaPierre to step down

A prominent National Rifle Association (NRA) board member and former congressman called on the lobbying group to “clean its own house” and replace longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre in a blog post Tuesday.

In the post, retired Lt. Col. Allen West, who represented Florida in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, said he was pulling his backing for LaPierre’s re-election and accused LaPierre and his defenders of “outright lies.”

The move comes after a bombshell report by the Wall Street Journal revealed tens of thousands of dollars in mismanaged spending by top officials. 

{mosads}West said he had called for LaPierre to step down ahead of the NRA’s annual meeting, which took place in April in Indianapolis. During the meeting, LaPierre wrote to the organization’s board to accuse North of extorting him and demanding his resignation, which LaPierre called “a threat meant to intimidate and divide us.”

North had sent his own letter to the NRA board citing over $200,000 of clothing purchases LaPierre allegedly charged to a vendor.

“There is a cabal of cronyism operating within the NRA and that exists within the Board of Directors. It must cease, and I do not care if I draw their angst,” West wrote. “It sickens me to publicly make this statement, but I will not allow anyone to damage my honor, integrity, character, and reputation. Needless to say, there are those who have willingly done so to their own.”

In the statement, West also calls the NRA’s current 76-member board “too large,” saying it should be cut to 30 or less, all of whom are limited to four terms.

Another board member, Timothy Knight shared a similar message, claiming he was unaware of the financial issues.