Another National Rifle Association (NRA) board member is calling out quits.
Richard Childress resigned from the embattled Second Amendment rights group on Monday.
NEW: Another NRA board member, this time Richard Childress, has resigned.
Letter here: pic.twitter.com/z0AfuOARGm
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) August 20, 2019
Childress, in his letter of resignation, writes that he has made his decision “with great regret and a heavy heart” but “At this time, it is necessary for me to focus on my businesses. I owe that to my employees, my partners, my family and myself.”
Three other board members resigned this month.
Childress does not mention the NRA’s current administrative struggles and the mounting criticism of CEO Wayne LaPierre for his alleged exorbitant use of association money to maintain a lavish private lifestyle. Conservative pundit and former NRA president Oliver North has accused the organization of trying to “smear” him because he demanded financial accountability from the group and an audit of NRA spending. (LaPierre Re-Elected To Top NRA Post After Showdown)
The NRA even promised to deliver $6.5 million to LaPierre so that he could purchase a mansion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Board member Lt. Col. (Ret.) Allen West has called for LaPierre’s resignation over the spending issues. Chris Cox, who had steered the NRA through 17 years of political lobbying, left the organization in May after LaPierre accused him leading a coup against him. (Related: Major NRA Donor: Chief ‘Has Become Radioactive And Must Step Down’)
Childress expressed his desire that the NRA continue to successfully represent gun owners. “My hope is that the NRA will continue to move forward with a focus on its important mission of defending the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens as provided in the Second Amendment … ”