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NRA President Oliver North ousted

It’s been a rough week for the gun rights organization.

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Stephanie Fillion

oliver north nra wayne lapierre

The National Rifle Association’s president Oliver North was ousted Saturday after allegedly attempting to blackmail the NRA’s CEO and longstanding Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre, into resigning.

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The news came in the midst of its annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, and just after President Donald Trump had a cell phone thrown at him while giving a speech to NRA members.

On Saturday, Richard Childress, the NRA’s first vice president, read a statement from North explaining his resignation: “Please know that I hoped to be with you today as NRA president endorsed for reelection,” an excerpt published in the Washington Post revealed. “I’m now informed that will not happen.”

LaPierre wrote in a letter sent to the NRA’s board on Thursday and obtained by the Wall Street Journal saying that he was the target of extortion by North, who is concluding his first term as president of the group. LaPierre alleged that North threatened to expose damaging information including, according to the letter, “a devastating account of our financial status, sexual harassment charges against a staff member, accusations of wardrobe expenses and excessive travel expenses.”

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The departure comes on the heels of a lawsuit the NRA filed against its longtime public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen, for refusing to account for the money it bills the organization. North has a $1 million contract with Ackerman McQueen to produce his show, American Heroes, which runs on the Ackerman McQueen-operated NRATV, according to the Associated Press.

Of course, Twitter users found plenty of irony in the situation.

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https://twitter.com/qjurecic/status/1121902896663154688

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https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/1122147750689136640

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https://twitter.com/Atrios/status/1122152760248545280

And some thought we might be stuck in a time warp.

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The NRA is also facing an investigation into its finances from New York state Attorney General Letitia James. The NRA’s annual meeting ends on Sunday.

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The Daily Dot