Oliver North Will Not Seek 2nd Term As NRA President

FAIRFAX, VA — Oliver North will not seek a second term as president of the powerful National Rifle Association amid accusations of extortion and infighting over whether the organization has strayed too far from its original mission of gun safety and outdoor sports. NRA board member Richard Childress announced the news Saturday morning, saying North felt he was being forced out over accusation that organization leaders were misusing funds.

North, whose term ends Monday, wrote in a letter read to group members at the NRA's annual meeting in Indianapolis that he'd hoped to be endorsed for re-election Saturday.

"I am now informed that will not happen," he said.

In the spring of 2018, Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president and CEO of the NRA and the organization's longtime face, urged North to retire from his job at Fox News to become president of the NRA, North said. But in September, after assuming office, North said NRA board members and donors "confronted" him over concerns about the amount of money being paid to a law firm.

The NRA, based in Fairfax, Virginia, filed a lawsuit against Ackerman McQueen accusing its longtime public relations firm of refusing to hand over financial records to account for its billings. In 2017 alone, the NRA paid the firm $40 million, The Associated Press reported. Ackerman McQueen has worked with the NRA for two decades and even helped craft aggressive messaging, including the "From my cold dead hands"line delivered by Charlton Heston in 2000 as the actor promised to resist efforts to take away his guns. The line became a rallying cry for gun owners around the country.

North has a $1 million contract with Ackerman McQueen, which caused concern within the NRA about potential conflicts of interest.

New York regulators have threatened to investigate the NRA's status as a tax-exempt organization, The New York Times reported.

The NRA has become a lightning rod for gun control activists and Democrats who've targeted the organization for its staunch support — politically and financially — of gun rights.

On Saturday, North wrote that the NRA faces a "clear crisis" that "needs to be dealt with" if the NRA is to survive.

BREAKING: @NRA Board member reads a letter from Oliver North saying he has been forced out of the organization due to his allegations that NRA leaders engaged in financial improprieties. North’s term ends Monday. #NRAAM

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— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 27, 2019