GBC News Archives

The National Rifle Association, riven by political turmoil and accusations of fiscal mismanagement, sued its longtime public relations firm, accusing it of engineering a failed “coup” attempt by leaking damaging information to undermine the NRA’s leadership.The lawsuit claims that the firm, Ackerman McQueen Inc., tried to foment the ouster of NRA Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre by giving the news media damaging details about his spending on items including expensive clothing and lavish foreign travel.Those allegations were raised by NRA President Oliver North, who said he’d created a committee to examine financial wrongdoing at the group and urged LaPierre to resign. LaPierre accused North of trying to extort him, and their battle came to a head with North’s ouster at last month’s NRA convention in Indianapolis.In a “remarkable” breach of trust motivated by a desire to avoid scrutiny of its own activities, Ackerman McQueen “undertook a campaign to tarnish and ultimately destroy the public image of the NRA and its senior leadership,” according to the complaint filed Wednesday in state court in Alexandria, Virginia.Ackerman McQueen said it’s “a sad day for NRA members that their leadership is more focused on attacking partners than fighting for freedom.”In a statement, the firm called the lawsuit “another reckless attempt to scapegoat Ackerman McQueen for the NRA’s own breakdown in governance, compliance and leadership. We have done our job to protect the brand for decades and have continued to do so despite shameless and inaccurate attacks on our integrity and our personnel by a leadership group that is desperate to make this a story about anything other than their own failures.”The relationship between Ackerman McQueen and the NRA has come under scrutiny in recent months, amid reports that some of the NRA’s top officials were also receiving payments or perks from the advertising

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