A bizarre moment happened in the bankruptcy trial of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Wednesday. According to Law and Crime News investigative reporter Adam Klasfeld, who is there live-tweeting the proceedings, a Russia reference popped up in an odd place.
Looking at expenditures from the NRA, the Brewer law firm sent the NRA an invoice to general counsel John Frazer’s office in 2020 for $59,155.25. It was marked “Russia.”
Firm Ackerman McQueen, the NRA’s former PR firm before their falling out, questioned Frazer about it while he was testifying on the stand. There was an objection, “citing confidentiality,” said Klasfeld. Judge Harlin Hale struck the questions about it from the record.
Ackerman McQueen’s lawyer, Mike Gruber argued it should be stricken, but Judge Hale ruled it out.
Frazer previously testified that he was unaware of the NRA’s Chapter 11 filing. He didn’t find out about it until the day of the bankruptcy.
The trial has been a disaster for the NRA, which has exposed more corruption and lavish spending than previously known. One thing, in particular, was that NRA president Wayne LaPierre lived aboard a 108-foot luxury, massive, luxury yacht after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. He said it was for his protection.
“They simply let me use it as a security retreat because they knew the threat that I was under. And I was basically under presidential threat without presidential security in terms of the number of threats I was getting,” the New York Daily News reported LaPierre saying.
LaPierre also cited “security” reasons for why he needed mosquito spraying at his house, the Washington Post reported. In 2019, LaPierre demanded that the NRA purchase him a $6.5 million mansion, also for his own security, the Wall Street Journal reported.