NRA fires back at NY AG and counter-sues as Trump blasts ‘terrible’ move to shut down gun group

THE NRA has responded to a lawsuit from New York’s attorney general that aims to shut down the organization with a suit of their own. President Trump also weighed in on the new suit against the NRA, calling it a “terrible thing” and suggesting the association should “move to Texas.” Trump’s comments come after Attorney […]

THE NRA has responded to a lawsuit from New York’s attorney general that aims to shut down the organization with a suit of their own.

President Trump also weighed in on the new suit against the NRA, calling it a “terrible thing” and suggesting the association should “move to Texas.”

Getty Images - Getty

Trump called the suit against the NRA a ‘terrible thing’[/caption]

Reuters

New York AG Letitia James announced the suit against the NRA Thursday[/caption]

Trump’s comments come after Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday that her office was suing the NRA on allegations that its leaders mismanaged the nonprofit’s funds, resulting in $64million in losses in just three years.

The AG’s office claims that the group has been embroiled in “years of misconduct” and they are “seeking an order to dissolve the NRA in its entirety.”

“That’s a very terrible thing,” Trump told MSNBC of the suit. “I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life.”

“I’ve told them that for a long time,” he added. “I think they should move to Texas. Texas would be a great place … or to another state of their choosing.”

Getty Images - Getty

The NRA responded to the New York AG’s suit with a lawsuit of their own[/caption]

Getty Images - Getty

Trump suggested that NRA ‘move to Texas’[/caption]

The NRA is subject to New York law because it is registered as a non-profit in the state, according to Reuters.

The suit, which was filed in Manhattan after an 18-month investigation, alleges that figures near the top at the NRA violated nonprofit rules as well as state and federal laws.

Leadership is being accused of diverting millions of dollars from the nonprofit for personal use including trips, private jets and expensive meals.

The suit names the NRA as a whole, as well as four individuals: Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre, former treasurer and CFO Wilson “Woody” Phillips, Executive Director of General Operations Joshua Powell and General Counsel John Frazer.

Twitter

The NRA called the New York suit ‘baseless’[/caption]

The four men “failed to fulfill their fiduciary duty to the NRA and used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including: trips for them and their families to the Bahamas & safaris in Africa, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel,” James wrote on Twitter.

The NRA’s response was to counter-sue James in federal court, saying she violated the group’s right to free speech and seeking to block her investigation, according to Reuters.

In a statement published on Twitter Thursday, NRA President Carolyn Meadows slammed the lawsuit as “baseless” and “an attempt to score political points.”

“This was a baseless, premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend,” the statement says.

“You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle. It’s a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.”

The statement concludes that the NRA’s members will not “be intimidated or bullied.”