Tim Mak, an NPR investigative correspondent, said the future of the National Rifle Association remains unclear as it faces a lawsuit from New York’s attorney general seeking to dissolve the group.
Mak, the author of “Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA,” said during an appearance on Hill.TV’s “Rising” that his new book provides a deep dive into the personalities of the gun-rights group’s top executives, whose financial conduct has come under scrutiny in the suit.
“The NRA is kind of a black box,” Mak said. “Before starting this project, you didn’t really know much about the personalities and the figures and what was happening behind the scenes.”
Mak’s book offers a deep dive into alleged mismanagement of the powerful lobbying organization by its chief Wayne LaPierre.
“A lot of folks were able to determine that if he was yelled at enough, harassed enough, he would eventually accede to any demand, whether that’s millions in dollars in spending for contractors or anything else,” Mak said.
Mak also noted a change in the NRA’s strategy after the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, saying it shifted to solely focusing on reaching out to conservatives and driving up membership during President Obama’s time in the White House.
The gun-control group Giffords filed a separate lawsuit against the NRA Tuesday alleging it violated campaign finance laws by illegally contributing tens of millions of dollars to GOP candidates.
Mak said the strategy saw initial success that has since vanished as it faces intense legal scrutiny with even some grassroots members becoming upset with the group’s executives.
“There’s a real question about whether the NRA actually continues to exist in the years going forward,” he said.
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