MANHATTAN (CN) — The National Rifle Association is at a crossroads. Earlier this year, longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre was found liable for corruption and self-dealing after a New York jury determined he’d improperly spent more than $5 million in donor cash on luxury trips, designer suits and other gaudy personal expenses for himself and his inner circle.
With LaPierre out, self-proclaimed reform candidates running for the NRA’s board of directors hope the verdict will stoke change, helping them win back trust from American gun owners. But after more than 30 years of tumultuous rule under LaPierre, that could prove to be a tall task.
One of those reform candidates is Phillip Journey, a Kansas judge and former politician now running for his third term on the NRA board. In an interview with Courthouse News last month, he said “a lot of members are finally taking notice” that it’s time for change.
Journey testified at the trial in January, telling the court that he “threw up a little” when he read the lawsuit.
“I knew they were in trouble,” he said in court. “It connected so many dots for me.”
During testimony, Journey said financial controls at the NRA were “nonexistent” and claimed that board members loyal to LaPierre turned on him when he started calling for an independent review of NRA’s finances. That account matches those of other former NRA executives and board members, who said at trial they were ostracized or forced out for demanding more financial transparency from LaPierre and his allies.
Take Chris Cox, the former top lobbyist for the organization. In court, Cox said he was disgusted when he learned one day in 2019 that LaPierre had billed $250,000 of Italian designer suits to the nonprofit.
Cox planned to resign that day, calling it “one of the final straws” after years of growing tensions between him and LaPierre. But before he could, the NRA accused him of planning a coup against LaPierre and placed him on administrative leave. (Cox says it was retaliation for speaking out about spending issues.)
LaPierre himself resigned just days before the start of trial, citing chronic health issues. Between LaPierre’s exit and the jury verdict against him, self-described reformers like Journey say it’s the perfect time to get the group’s finances under control.
That could be easier said than done. New York Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen, who has overseen the proceedings, has not yet said whether he will seek to restructure the NRA’s board, which still includes LaPierre loyalists. The New York attorney general’s office hasn’t asked him to — though it has sought other relief, including the appointment of a financial compliance monitor at the nonprofit.
Some NRA members fear that even with LaPierre gone, his influence of financial mismanagement runs deep. Board candidate Jeff Knox believes those loyal to the longtime CEO might be hesitant to embrace meaningful change.
That’s why Knox, another so-called reform candidate, wants to see the judge dissolve the board in its entirety. “My hope would be that he removes all of them,” he said.
“I would be okay with the judge completely dissolving the board, including us if we got elected,” Knox added, referencing fellow reformers. “Starting over would not be a bad thing.”
Knox has deep ties to the NRA. His father, Neal Knox, was a gun writer turned controversial NRA executive who hired LaPierre in the first place.
Knox is cautiously optimistic about “Phase Two” of the trial, in which Cohen this summer will determine the scope of injunctive relief. Still, Knox shares his father’s distrust of authority and is skeptical that Cohen or the New York AG can truly reform the troubled nonprofit.
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