National Rifle Association leader Wayne LaPierre testified Monday that he authorized thousands of dollars in helicopter rides so that executives of the gun rights group could avoid getting stuck in traffic while traveling to and from NASCAR races.
On his second day on the stand in his civil corruption trial, LaPierre, 74, was shown three invoices for helicopter services, totaling more than $16,000. He confirmed that he approved those flights in 2015 and 2016 and said helicopter trips were a “practice” at the time.
LaPierre, other former and current NRA leaders and the organization itself are fending off a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020 that alleges they violated nonprofit laws and redirected millions of dollars of NRA funds for personal use.
The helicopter rides were the attorney general’s latest example of that alleged spending.
One of those flights cost $7,590, LaPierre confirmed. Kayne Robinson, who served as the NRA’s president from 2003 to 2005, was the single passenger.
LaPierre testified Friday that he used the NRA’s funds on chartered private jets, family trips, black car services and high-end gifts for friends.
On Monday morning, he was shown and confirmed the validity of multiple invoices, including one for a December 2015 private plane flight from Washington, D.C., to the Bahamas that cost nearly $19,000.
Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Conley also directed LaPierre to clothing purchases made by Ackerman McQueen, the NRA’s advertising and public relations firm at the time, totaling more than $274,000.
LaPierre confirmed that he did buy clothing at Zegna, a high-end clothing store in Beverly Hills, California. But he insisted that he did so only at the behest of the officials at Ackerman McQueen, who “hated” how he dressed and encouraged him to buy new clothes that would look good on television.
“Mr. McQueen used to literally beat me up to get wardrobe at this store,” LaPierre said. “I did all the television…
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