Fox News host Steve Hilton is blasting National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre, calling him “an odious little grifter” who needs to be shown the door.
Hilton’s criticism comes amid leadership upheaval at the NRA, with at least four members of the gun rights lobbying group’s board of directors stepping down in the past few weeks, following the resignation of NRA President Oliver North in April.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, board members had to defend a reported proposal for the organization to spend $6 million on a Dallas-area mansion for LaPierre.
{mosads}”For years, Wayne has taken NRA members’ money to live the life of a king, but he’s not a king. He’s the head of a nonprofit trusted by millions to use its funds to secure constitutional rights,” Hilton, the host of “The Next Revolution,” said during his “Swamp Watch” segment Sunday. “He’s an odious little grifter and it’s time for him to go.”
Hilton listed several high-ticket purchases LaPierre has made over the years while running the NRA, including a $5 million estate and luxury travel and rent costs incurred during trips to the Bahamas and throughout Europe that entailed private air charters and drivers.
“He made NRA members pay for a trip to Italy and Budapest in 2014, including $6,500 at the Four Seasons Hotel. I’ve been to that hotel. It’s lovely,” Hilton said.
“But Mr. LaPierre, there are other countries and other hotels you can stay at, if you want to protect the Second Amendment. Try the Hyatt in Washington, D.C. It’s a short walk to places like the United States Congress and the Supreme Court where Americans’ gun rights are actually decided, not Budapest or even Lake Como, where you billed NRA members $2,400 for a stay at this luxury retreat, the Casta Diva Resort,” he continued. “Not to mention $17,550 for an air charter, also known as a private jet, to get you from one to the other. Oh, and $18,300 for a car and driver at each end.”
LaPierre has been CEO of the NRA since 1991.
The Hill has reached out to the NRA for comment.
Fox News launched “The Next Revolution,” a new populism-themed show, in June 2017.
Hilton, 49, served as senior adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron and is the co-founder of Crowdpac, a nonpartisan political crowdfunding startup based in Silicon Valley that aims to encourage average citizens to get more involved in politics.