Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, best-known for his “arms-for hostages” deal in the Reagan-era Iran-Contra scandal, will become the next president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the gun lobby group said in a statement Monday.
North, now a 74-year old far right wing Fox News pundit, was convicted for his role in selling guns to Iran, which at the time was illegal. That conviction was later reversed. North’s scheme funded right-wing guerillas in Nicaragua. According to reports he was also aware of drug smuggling between the U.S. and Honduras, but “there are no records that corroborate North’s later assertion that he passed this intelligence on drug trafficking to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.”
“This is the most exciting news for our members since Charlton Heston became President of our Association,” NRA executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a statement. Heston, an award-winning actor, was president from 1998 to 2003.
“Oliver North is a legendary warrior for American freedom, a gifted communicator and skilled leader. In these times, I can think of no one better suited to serve as our president,” LaPierre added.
The NY Daily News notes that “a federal judge threw out North’s conviction after his attorneys successfully argued that witnesses at his trial might have been affected by confidential testimony he gave to Congress.”
Image: Screenshot via YouTube