Chris W. Cox, the longtime head of the National Rifle Association’s legislative lobbying arm, has resigned from the post.
Mr. Cox, along with CEO Wayne LaPierre, has long been one of the public faces of the NRA.
His resignation comes a week after the NRA accused him of being part of a failed plot to oust Mr. LaPierre, and as the gun-rights group battles internal turmoil and financial issues.
Mr. Cox has served as executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) since 2002, overseeing the division’s $33 million budget.,
He also oversees the gun-rights group’s political action committee, the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF).
In a lawsuit filed last week against Oliver North, the group’s former president, the NRA also implicated Mr Cox as a participant, along with Mr. North, in an alleged “conspiracy” to get rid of Mr. LaPierre.
Mr. Cox has denied the allegations.
The tumult came to a head at the group’s annual meetings earlier this year, where Mr. LaPierre won out in the power struggle and Mr. North announced that he wouldn’t seek another term as president.
The shuffle at the top comes as the NRA and Ackerman McQueen, its longtime advertising firm, are in the process of an ugly break-up.
Mr. LaPierre said in a message to members posted to the NRA’s website on Wednesday that the group will no longer air “live TV” programming.
“As many of you may know, we have been evaluating if our investment in NRATV is generating the benefits needed,” he said. “Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment.”
Mr. LaPierre said the move was needed because “our longtime advertising firm and website vendor failed to deliver upon many contractual obligations it made to our Association.”
The firm, though, has said it’s the NRA that isn’t meeting its obligations in the partnership.
“NRA has the obligation to pay several millions of dollars of delinquent payments for work already completed that has benefited the NRA,” the agency said in a statement to The Oklahoman. “They are refusing to pay, in part to harm Ackerman McQueen, but also because the NRA probably is having trouble meeting its financial obligations in large measure due to massive unbudgeted legal costs.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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