Deposition of Wayne Lapierre

Here’s a partial copy of the deposition of Wayne LaPierre, in the New York case. It seems to be part two. It poses a question: is he really this incompetent and negligent, or is he competent and faking, since it’s better to be thought a goof-off than a conspirator in a band of thieves?

P. 352: In 2020, he signed the NRA IRS Form 990 (before, the treasurer had always signed it). He doesn’t think he reviewed it first.

P. 353 – 354: He had to reimburse NRA for expenses for his wife’s cosmetician and her manicurist (both were flown from Nashville to wherever an NRA event was being held). He doesn’t remember how much he paid. Not even a vague idea.

P. 354 – 355. Also had to reimburse NRA for gifts they’d billed to it. Doesn’t remember amount.

P. 407 – 420. He’s paid director Marion Hammer since the 1990s. It was announced she’d retired, but NRA is still paying her, In 2017, she had three revenue streams from NRA. His office paid her $84,000, NRA-ILA paid her $50,000, and ILA also gave a grant of $216,000 to her organization, Unified Sportsmen of Florida. The Audit Committee approved these.

2 weeks after Audit Committee approved, he signed a new contract doubling her compensation. He doesn’t know who negotiated it, he just signed it. This was done without Audit Committee approval, and without the required signatures of the president and one VP.

P. 430-31: Mention of a settlement, but everything redacted.

P. 441: He doesn’t know who decided to refuse to pay Chris Cox’s severance contract, which led to a legal fight.

P. 443: NRA’s legal expenses against Cox were about $3 million. (Actually, they were $7 million).

P. 445: NRA’s accounts were annually audited, but the auditors never interviewed him. (Auditors that never spoke to the CEO, or audited his account?)

P. 445 – 446: He never knew much about the audits. He’d just ask Woody Phillips how they were going, and Woody would say going well, and after one he’d ask Woody about it, and Woody would just reply, it was great, there were no issues.

P. 454-55: He signed a letter to the boards’s Compensation Committee calling for bonuses for the officers (at a time when other employees were furloughed without pay, or taking a 20% pay cut). He signed it, but doesn’t know who wrote it.

P. 456 and following: He trusted treasurer Woody Phillips. Since Phillips left, he’d heard “rumors” that Phillips had been fired from a previous job for embezzlement, but didn’t know much about it. He didn’t even know about the previous job, thought Phillips had come to NRA direct from Pricewaterhouse.

P. 460: He thought for all these years that Phillips was doing an annual audit of Ackerman McQueen. He wasn’t.

P. 473 and following: Millie Hallow worked for him since the 1990s. She still (as of the deposition) has her job. She was in trouble for defrauding NRA in the early 2000s. He didn’t know she had an expense account or budget. He’s not aware she billed hundreds of thousands in “black car” rides to NRA. In 2012 she billed her son’s wedding to NRA. Someone told LaPierre, he asked her about it, she denied it, and he believed her. NRA later determined that she’d misappropriated $41,000. At that point LaPierre strangely says he was worried that if he’d fired her she’d sue and win, he seems to be stumbling toward saying they didn’t collect the $41,000 or maybe settled for less, but the attorney goes on without asking about that.

We’re left with two possibilities. Either (1) LaPierre, NRA’s CEO for 32 years, is hopelessly incompetent and out of touch even with his own office, people write contracts and make decisions and he just signs them without even knowing who wrote them, or (2) he’s faking it to hide the fact that he, Woody Phillips, Millie Hallow, and others were conspirators feathering their own nests or (3) both of the above. Off leading the good life, on members’ money, and not caring about the details. A vendor pays for your Caribbean vacation, come back to the office, oh, a new contract doubling a director’s compensation, sign it without a worry, someone says your immediate subordinate is embezzling, she says she’s not, no need to inquire further. (Versus, she and Woody have enough on me to where I’d better overlook all this).