A board member of the National Rifle Association asked the judge overseeing the group’s bankruptcy case to appoint an independent examiner to investigate allegations of compensation and expense abuses, a surprising salvo from an NRA insider that adds to the legal turmoil surrounding the nonprofit.
The new motion was filed by Phillip Journey, a Kansas state judge who was elected to the NRA board last year and also served as a director in the 1990s.
His motion, filed independently of the NRA, seeks a court-appointed examiner “to bring to light the veracity of the alleged fraud, dishonesty, incompetence, and gross mismanagement that has plagued the NRA’s reputation.”
Mr. Journey in his motion also claimed that the NRA’s management didn’t tell the group’s board about the plan to file for bankruptcy protection last month or ask for a board vote on the matter, adding that “one or more board members only became aware of this case through media outlets.”
William A. Brewer III, the NRA’s main outside attorney, said in a statement: “Judge Journey purportedly supports the mission of the NRA and claims not to oppose the Association seeking to reincorporate in Texas. Unfortunately, he seems to mistakenly believe the NRA reorganization plan did not follow board and internal protocol. This plan was undertaken in full compliance with NRA policy.”
