The National Rifle Association (NRA) considered buying a $6 million mansion for use by CEO Wayne LaPierre.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday that documents show that the gun-rights group discussed buying the Dallas-area house for its CEO but talks fell through. The dealings are now under scrutiny by New York investigators as part of an ongoing investigation into the NRA’s tax-exempt status.
The NRA and its former longtime advertising firm, Ackerman McQueen, are currently at odds over who planned to pay for the mansion and where the idea originated, according to the Post.
{mosads}In a statement to the news outlet Tuesday, the ad firm said LaPierre initially asked for assistance with buying the house, a move that alarmed officials at Ackerman McQueen.
“Actions in this regard led to Ackerman McQueen’s loss of faith in Mr. LaPierre’s decision-making,” the firm said.
The NRA contends it was the ad firm that originally suggested last year to buy the house, seeing it as an investment to be managed by the firm’s top executives. The NRA added that its top leaders ended up rejecting the idea.
“The deal was vetoed by the NRA after its full terms — including Ackerman’s intent to spend NRA money — became known to Wayne LaPierre,” William Brewer III, an attorney for the organization, told The Hill in a statement. “Not a cent of NRA money was ultimately spent. Any suggestion to the contrary is untrue.”
Ackerman McQueen told the Post that the NRA’s account of the dealings is “patently false.”
“The truth is that Mr. LaPierre decided to proactively propose his plan to leave his current residence and purchase a new residence,” the company said. “Acting outside the parties’ Services Agreement, Mr. LaPierre sought the involvement of Ackerman McQueen. Ackerman McQueen refused to proceed with this transaction.”
The dispute over the origins of the idea for a house for LaPierre is the latest ordeal between the two sides after the NRA cut ties with Ackerman McQueen back in May after nearly four decades.
The revelation is the latest blow to the gun lobby group as it battles financial struggles and internal shake-ups.
—Updated at 3:35 p.m.