N.R.A. Chief Kept Bankruptcy Filing Secret From Deputies

During two years of turmoil preceding the trial, the N.R.A. had grown unusually quiet, shuttering its fire-breathing media outlet, NRATV, and parting ways with its former spokeswoman Dana Loesch. It was also largely silent during the 2020 presidential election, after playing a major role in helping elect Donald J. Trump in 2016.

But the organization remains a potent lobbying force that has reshaped the political landscape around guns. Its enduring influence was on display in the aftermath of two recent mass shootings, in Atlanta and Boulder, Colo., when calls for gun control ran up against stout Republican opposition and the realities of the Senate filibuster.

The bankruptcy, however, is a risky gambit for the N.R.A. and a sign of its desperation. Mr. LaPierre and his outside lawyer, William A. Brewer III, an architect of the filing, could lose control over the organization. In one possible outcome, if the case is not dismissed outright, the judge, Harlin D. Hale, could displace the current management by appointing a trustee to take over the N.R.A.’s day-to-day operations. The use of a trustee is rare in large company bankruptcies and usually happens only in cases of fraud, incompetence or gross mismanagement.

Gregory E. Garman, an N.R.A. lawyer, argued in court against such an outcome this week, saying “a trustee is in fact a death sentence.”

“The argument that a trustee assures the future of the N.R.A. beguiles our purpose and our role,” Mr. Garman said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/us/nra-bankruptcy-wayne-lapierre.html