Letitia James might be a political activist using her office to conduct lawfare against people and organizations she doesn’t like. At the same time, the financial mismanagement done by and under the leadership of Wayne LaPierre has given James all the ammunition she needs to gut the organization’s leadership.
The civil corruption trial starts Monday. It’s civil meaning no jail time for those convicted, just the potential for huge financial penalties and restitution, along with court orders keeping those parties away from management or duties at any NY based non-profit or charitable organization.
Already Wayne LaPierre threw in the towel Friday, announcing his retirement citing health reasons. The smells to high heaven as the reason, but whatever. As I wrote somewhere, a pending trial date tends to clear one’s mind.
And now, late Friday came the news that LaPierre’s right hand man, Josh Powell (pictured above), has copped a deal with Letitia James. In short, he’s agreed to pay $100,000 and agreed to testify against LaPierre and his cronies in exchange for James dismissing him from her complaint. There are some other aspects to the agreement (which can be read here). The upside for the Quisling Powell, who is now shilling for gun control apparently to pay the bills after his disgraceful departure from the NRA, is that his liability is limited to that $100,000. If he had not taken the deal, he might have been on the hook for untold millions.
Given his treacherous nature, that would have been a darn shame.
I guarantee you two things: The rest of the NRA Board of Directors and Officers are burning up the phone lines with their attorneys trying to assess their personal liability for the fleecing of NRA resource for at least a decade and probably closer to two.
Secondly, the remaining defendants are trying to strike a Powell-like deal with James. But what they don’t know is that the first guy always gets the best deal. Maybe they could testify against other WLP cronies in NRA’s leadership.
Regardless, it surely looks like LaPierre’s a dead duck. And the leadership of the NRA will likely owe the NRA a whole lot of money. All those fancy flights, top shelf hotels, $20,000 suits and putting up “errant” interns near NRA HQ will have to be reimbursed. And LaPierre’s golden parachute contract will be gutted as well. Wayne will be lucky to afford a Holiday Inn Express when the court is done with him.
Time will tell, but Letitia James might just be the wrecking ball that was needed to excise the cancer that was LaPierre’s leadership and his political cronies on the board. Maybe, just maybe, with the cancer removed, the NRA can return stronger than ever.
Or they may be neutered.
In which cases there are plenty of organizations ready and able to fill those shoes left empty by the NRA. What’s more, these organizations may be a LOT less inclined to “negotiate” with the anti-gunners when it comes to legislative lobbying and playing politics.
I do hate a Quisling, but this needed to happen. All of the leadership needs to be replaced with people who care about our rights. Maybe the NRA will make a partial recovery. In the meantime, support the organizations that are truly fighting for us: SAF, GOA, FPC and, of course, GSL.
The NRA should be neutered just like ISRA and Illinois Carry because negotiating rights away or sitting down to craft one of the state’s most anti-gun laws – the red flag law doesn’t make you a gun rights organization. It makes you a gun control organization. You support the 2A entirely or you enable gun control. It’s an either or situation. What about GSL? It depends on how the organization refers to the state police going forward. Any friendly orientation or attitudes toward that agency would constitute sympathy to the state-funded armed gun control bunch and thus disqualify GSL as a gun rights outfit. But it doesn’t have to be that way. No need to scratch heads about anything. This is as easy as black and white as it can be.
Well said. Gun control by incrementalism is still gun control. Not one step back, ever.
Tl; dr,
pot, meet kettle!
If the ISP plays fair as they should, GSL will work with them. But we will trust but verify. We already caught them trying to implement PICA before it went into effect legally. They know we are here watching their every move, and that we are willing to speak the truth no matter what.
IMO both the NRA and Trump prosecutions are an exercise in political opposition punishment, as opposed to actually seeking justice. I’m not declaring an innocence or guilt of either party, only that the action / intent of the AG is mired in political stench as evidenced during her campaign for office.
For the unwashed:
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally headed the government of Norway during the country’s occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II. SOurce:WIKIpedia
The term “quisling” (small “q”) is used today to describe “a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country.” (OED).
And more loosely, just a traitor to one’s cause or collaborator with the opposing side. It is PERFECTLY used here to describe Mr. Powell. Who among us placed in (or voluntarily in) the same circumstances would NOT do the same? Like the mob cases, and as johnboch says, the first to roll over gets the deal. What shows his incompetence and corruption more than anything is LaPierre’s inability or refusal to admit ANY wrongdoing. Any half-witted exec should have known that a lower-level party would so roll over. Look at that schmuck Cohen who was once Trump’s lawyer. What a weasel! And he’s rolling, and rolling, and rolling (like a GATOR) and we still can’t believe anything he says.
The NRA is corrupt and has been for two decades, at the least. Our beloved Charlton Heston was forced out in a backroom, middle-of-the-night screw. And who among us doesn’t remember his heart-soaring “from my cold, dead hands” at the convention? It still sends chills.
And we laud Ms. James for this while out of the other corner of our mouths condemn her for what she’s doing to President Trump. The difference is called “evidence.” There’s tons of evidence of NRA corruption, going back decades. There’s NO evidence of President Trump’s involvement in fraud – NONE. The only way you get to “fraud” is by devaluing a property that, by all accounts is worth nearly a BILLION DOLLARS, to $18M. Only the most CORRUPT judge could do that. If you held a forced sale of Mar-a-Lago tomorrow without notice, you have a hundred thousand bidders at $18M. If you held that same forced sale at $100M you’d have TEN THOUSAND BIDDERS.
How do we hope and pray for Ms. James’ success in pursuing the NRA and yet for crushing defeat in the Trump case? Just do it!
We also hope and pray that the NRA gets its stuff together and becomes the organization that we the people are crying out for today. And to the fellow who suggested Massad Ayoob for lead – ABSOLUTELY! What a man! He’s EXACTLY what the NRA needs right now. Either that or Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch.
The last thing we 2A folk need is dissension and discontent among the ranks now. So get your own stuff together, fellows, and listen to me when I preach!
ZOIKS!
GLS 1589, “ken”, GSL 15889, GSL 15s9, GrifterLyingScum, YOU are a “quisling” on this web site, as YOU have often created dissent and acted as “a traitor” to one’s cause aka: the many times you have slighted John Boch, and yet YOU declare ” listen to me when I preach”, we are sooo tired of your preaching, why don’t you JUST GO AWAY! You really are pathetic and soooo self centered as to be narcissistic, a pathetic narcissist by example of the manure pile just above! YOU need a t-shirt that has the wording “HELP ME, I AM POSTING AND CANNOT STOP THE MANURE PILE APPEARING ON MY COMPUTER MONITOR SCREEN! GO AWAY, “ken” JUST GO AWAY!
All the parties involved are outright heathens, because if any of the NRA leadership had integrity, they would have led a campaign to notify the members about the corruption years ago. Legitimately fought Wayne and everyone destroying the NRA. Instead, it was whispered and slowly destroyed through memberships drying up, the New York fiasco and numerous other internal scandals.
I was a “life member” then “life +, whatever name the NRA put on it for clout” and so on before seeing the lack of accountability, integrity and fortitude at the NRA.
So, it needs replaced. With a new hungrier organization, eager to address the overwhelming government overreach taking place.
The shameful antics of Wayne and the NRA leadership has blackened and tarnished the historical marvels that the NRA accomplished since its founding.
My sentiments as well, Chad, I became an NRA member back in the 1970’s and at the time was very pro, early on LaPierre seemed a positive force but the “leadership” through the years has allowed the corruption getting worse. I am sorry to say the NRA needs a grass roots overhaul by membership that will not tolerate the antics LaPierre has perpetrated on a once great civil rights organization. Just like our governments’ citizens need to revamp the criminal politicians, hold them accountable, and get back to our basic Constitutional values.
Pray for America, as well as the NRA, that “the people” can get these organizations back on the correct path.
Health reasons; Wayne has decided to have the operation to remove his head from his ass and implant a spine. Too late, the NRA is a pile of dog shit, like the ISRA.
GSL 1589, I am not “ken” or anyone else you accuse me of. I am my own person and just happen to have a similar name to you. I would never speak ill of jboch on here because I appreciate how he sometimes apologizes for the ISP. You see, for both of us who share the same views on Back the Blue it makes it easier for us to continue our outspoken blind support of those in uniform enforcing gun bans. This way we can hide behind blaming our political opponents and it takes attention away from the harm police are doing to our communities. I think you’re just a bit uncomfortable with the fact that I’m more blunt about what “Back the Blue” actually means. Screw those people who comment on here about their rights all of the time. In order for us to have rights we first must secure the paychecks of cops because they protect us. And like jboch said a few months ago, most of the rank and file troopers don’t take PICA seriously so when they arrest us they’ll probably smile and crack jokes about the governor with us and it will be funny. I will always put the needs of law enforcement above my own. They know better than us. Back the BADGE!
GrifterLyingScum,
Your “daddy” “ken” has posted that YOU aka: “ken’s STOOGE” creation, are a “SPOOF” but a “spoof” is technically a SCAM, “ken” also states in the same post: quote “… he’s on the same page as he is. He’s not. He’s (meaning YOU) delightfully critical of the boys in blue (and ponytail patrol!)”. “ken” states this with such certainty that it is obvious he knows beyond a shadow of doubt, therefor “ken” created YOU so stop the denial GrifterLyingScum. YOU are just as pathetic as your creator “ken”. How would “ken” know all this unless he is YOUR creator? K M A with wet sloppy ones, Grifter!
YOU do not “just happen to have a similar name to you” (me), YOU (aka: “ken”) chose to “create” the post name “GLS 1589” aka: GrifterLyingScum, so F U very much A$$HOLE.
copied/pasted from earlier post:
IF “ken” knows, and he writes as though he does know for certain, that “GLS 1589″, aka:” the GrifterLyingScum is a “spoof”, or what I call a SCAM, then “ken” is the instigator, author, and/or the poster aka: GLS 1589, JUST as I have been posting from the first time GLS 1589, GSL 15s9, GSL 15889 posted, all are the same author, targeting myself, just as I have stated many times. Prove me wrong. “ken”, F U very much.
2024 is already a helluva year!
Someone needs to red flag g s l 1589.
that person is absolutely unhinged.
“ken” is scum AND a scammer! F U very much, “ken” GLS 1589 GrifterLyingScum
Just GO AWAY, “ken”!