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I had to look at that twice, because it sure looked like something else at first glance

NRA Board Member, Wayne LaPierre Ally, Resigns After 23 Years

A longtime ally of National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre has resigned after serving on the organization’s board of directors for 23 years.

NRA board member Todd Rathner did not explain why he was leaving while announcing that he was stepping down in a statement posted to social media on Thursday. Rathner’s departure comes as the NRA faces multiple challenges including dwindling membership and a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James that seeks to dissolve the organization over alleged financial misconduct.

“I wanted to let you know that after almost 23 years I have resigned from the National Rifle Association’s Board of Directors,” Rathner said in a message addressed to “Friends and Supporters” on Facebook. “America needs, and deserves a strong National Rifle Association, and I wish the NRA nothing but great things in the future.”

“My personal commitment to the Second Amendment has never been stronger, and I will continue my work to defend it as long as I live,” he continued. “I am still in the fight, I am still working EVERY SINGLE DAY to fight against those who would leave us defenseless. My advocacy will continue. Thank you again for your years of support and encouragement, I am fully at peace with this decision.”

The NRA said in a statement to Newsweek that Rathner was “pursuing an opportunity with another Second Amendment organization,” while adding that the organization wishes him well and thanks him “for his service.”

Although it was not clear if Rathner was joining another organization after leaving the NRA, he was also listed as the chairman and executive director of gun-rights lobbying group NFA Freedom Alliance while serving on the NRA board.

Earlier this month, financial records obtained by The Reload showed that NRA membership numbers in 2021 were at their lowest point since 2017. The records also showed the organization’s revenue had declined significantly in recent years, with revenue last year being roughly half of what it was in 2018.

NRA Media Relations Director Amy Hunter told The Reload that the records were “an outdated, unaudited financial report.” Hunter blamed the NRA’s dwindling membership on the COVID-19 pandemic and insisted that the organization was in a “stronger” and “better” position to “fight for its members and their freedoms.”

James filed a civil lawsuit against the NRA, LaPierre and several other high-ranking members of the organization over alleged fraud and misuse of charitable funds in 2020.

LaPierre is accused of using millions of dollars on personal expenses like private air travel and expensive clothing. NRA President Carolyn Meadows has described the lawsuit as a “baseless, premeditated attack.”

While multiple NRA board members left the organization after the financial misconduct allegations and a dispute between LaPierre and former NRA President Oliver North emerged in 2019, Rathner remained loyal to LaPierre, telling The New York Times that LaPierre was “leading and proving that he has the political juice to get the job done” at the time.