That’s how Deborah Rhode, a legal ethics expert from Stanford Law School, put it after reviewing a memo from ex-NRA president Oliver North. In the document, North laid out allegations against the embattled gun rights group’s outside law firm, claiming the firm has billed the association about $24 million since last March and $8.8 million in the first three months of 2019—averaging to more than $97,000 per day.
“The Brewer invoices are draining NRA cash at mindboggling speed,” reads the memo, referring to the legal bills, and adding that they “pose an existential threat to the financial stability of the NRA.” North and Childress allege in the leaked memo that multiple senior NRA officials, including CEO Wayne LaPierre, refused to entertain the idea of conducting an outside audit of Brewer’s bills. They wrote that LaPierre shot down multiple requests for an audit and that the association’s audit committee ignored another request. North’s lawyers have not responded to comment requests, and Childress has declined to comment on internal NRA matters.
At least one attorney general is already investigating the NRA. A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said on April 27 that her office is scrutinizing the group. That announcement came in the middle of the tumultuous member meeting in Indianapolis, which had commenced with a metaphorical knife-fight between LaPierre and North. The allegations—some public, others not—aired so much internal turmoil that the group practically seemed to beg law enforcement to notice.
“Clearly, these ‘sources’ have no insight into the relationship between the Brewer firm and the NRA, or the scope of the firm’s work,” he said. “The firm represents the NRA on many different matters—working to protect our legal, regulatory and reputational interests. As we’ve repeatedly stated, centralizing these services allows the NRA to gain strategic advantages, recognize cost savings, and improve our advocacy—in a way that works in the best interests of our members.
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