American woman to ever be elected to statewide office of any kind in new york. And so tish james is a big deal in new york. Shes a high profile public official in the state of new york. Shes also, i think likely to end up being a pretty high profile National Figure if her career continues the way it is going thus far. But today tish james ended up in the headlines for an unusual reason. Today she was sued. She didnt sue somebody or bring a case against somebody. She herself was sued by the nra. The nra, this sort of powerful right wing pro gun advocacy group, if you have been following news about the nra recently at all, you know they are embroiled in all sorts of legal drama. The new York Attorney general is not the only entity that has issued subpoenas to the nra and its constituent parts over the last few months. The new york state investigation that shes leading i think is particularly threatening to the group because new york state happens to be where the nra is chartered as a nonprofit organization. Back in april, james opened an investigation into allegations of self dealing at the nra. Meaning nonprofit being illegally operated for the benefits of the Board Members instead of for the nonprofit purpose. That doesnt just cover potentially criminal malfeasance by the group and its executives. That investigation theoretically could put the nonprofit status of the nra at risk. And that might sound like a technical thing, but that could technically put the ongoing existence of the nra at risk. Well, within the last few weeks tish james widened her investigation and she issued subpoenas to more than 90 people. They are either on the nra board of directors or they have been in the past. And that is apparently what led to the nra suing tish james today. And its interesting. The reason theyre suing her is because the nra is apparently quite freaked out about the prospect of what tish james might hear from one of the people she has subpoenaed. Again, shes issued more than 90 subpoenas. But what the nra is suing her about, what they are freaked out about is one of the subpoenas she sent to oliver north. Yes, that oliver north, the felon from the iran contra scandal. Hes one of the people who has gotten a subpoena. The nra is now suing attorney general tish james today specifically because they insist that they want their own attorneys present and in the room when tish james and her team start questioning oliver north pursuant to that subpoena. Why . What are you so worried about in terms of oliver norths testimony . One of the complicated legal fights the nra finds itself in right now is a series of lawsuits and counterlawsuits within the organization itself, and between various parts of nra leadership and some of their vendors and former leaders. I mean, nobody is quite sure what exactly happened when oliver north was forced out as the groups president earlier this year. Part of the reason its been so hard to track this stuff is that everybody involved honestly is such a drama queen. I mean, oliver north insisting he was a heroic whistle blower uncovering terrible behavior at the nra, and nra insisting oliver north is a con man and launching a failed coupe. Were going to head off the coupe and off with your head and we want to be cheered for pushing you out. That means honestly, Junior High School has less fights around the graduation dance than these guys with each other over the last few months and it couldnt happen to a nicer bunch. Whether or not you care about their drama, and how they are or are not resolving things amongst themselves, what is it that oliver north might say to the new York Attorney general that has the nra so freaked out that they want their own lawyers there for questioning . I dont know. Whether or not all this drama engages you, whatever is going on at the nra, it has resulted over these last four months or so in a cascade of terrible and increasingly embarrassing revelations about what the nra does. About what happens to the donations that they get from their members and their donors. It all started in april with this reporting in the new yorker magazine. Based on federal tax forms and Charity Records and contracts and corporate filings and internal communications, all of which were obtained by a reporter named mike s spoois. According to interviews and documents a small group of nra executives, contractors and vendors have extracted hundreds of millions of dollars. Hundreds of millions . From the nonprofits budget from gratuitous payments, sweet heart deals and opaque financial arrangements. Hundreds of millions of dollars . That article was published in mid april in the new yorker. And it seems to have gone off like a small sort of like depth charge inside nra headquarters. Not only was oliver north ousted as president of the nra amid a huge flurry of competing assertions and accusations. But soon enough this trickle of super embarrassing very specific information started to flow out about what exactly the nra spends its money on. When they persuade people to become members of the nra or donate money to them. When people buy nra swag or decide to hit that button online or respond to that direct mail thing or that telemarketer and give the nra 20, or 100, we soon started to learn all the gritty details of what exactly the nra has been spending all that money on. Within a week of that initial story, we got this from the wall street journal indicating that for some reason the nra had set aside more than 200,000 of money from its donors to pay for a wardrobe for the ceo of the nra. Within two weeks of that report the wall street journal had more. It turns out it was not just hundreds of thousands of dollars in outfits for the ceo. It was also nearly a quarter of a Million Dollars that the nra had spent for him to go to a fivestar resort in italy and budapest and a nice trip to the bahamas. We got more detail on waynes outfit that the nra was paying for that . We got a little more information on the outfits he was paying for. Quote, many of his wardrobe expenses were incurred at a Beverly Hills, California Store that sells clothing by the italian luxury brand italian luxury brand ermenegildo zegna. He was getting zegna suits at a boutique in Beverly Hills which nra members were paying for when they bought their hats and shirts and stickers, you were buying italian suits for the ceo from a Beverly Hills boutique. Within two weeks of the reporting we could put a finer point on that. If you want to understand how nra members were spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on one mans clothing, how do you even add up to that . In trying to do that math, it helps to know that that man could spend 39,000 in a single day on his clothing. At that one Beverly Hills clothing boutique 39,000 for one day of shopping. Charge it to the members of the nra. In that same wall street journal report in mid may, we also got details of how much nra members have been paying specifically for the ceos private jet costs. We dont actually have a total number in terms of how much the donor funded and member funded private jets added up to over time, but we do know that during one onemonth period, a onemonth period that spanned from late 2012 into early 2013. Basically over the holiday period and the new years period in that one month, nra members and donors paid more than 200,000 just for la piers private jet expenses in part related to a twoweek trip over christmas to the bahamas. Think about that time. That 200,000 that members spent just for the air transportation costs for the ceo to go to the bahamas for two weeks around the holiday, that was late 2012 into early 2013. That would have been immediately after the Elementary School massacre at sandy hook in newtown, connecticut. Thats what the nra did in response. They spent 200,000 to send wayne to the bahamas. Apparently he and his wife charged that entire trip to the members and donors of the nra. Where they stayed apparently was this island. Look. According to Washington Post, it is known for its pink beaches. We did not photo shop that. Thats a pink beach. And you know, im sure members of the nra who paid for that twoweek trip plus the private jet fair to and from, im sure they would be happy to cough up extra to make sure wayne had pink sand on his beach, not just normal sand. Again, it was a very stressful time. Again, in addition to the private jets, though, there was more. There was also some interesting chauffeur expenses. Now, i mentioned the nra and its the members had been made to cough up more than thousands of dollars to put up the groups ceo at fivestar resort in italy and at a Four Seasons Hotel in budapest. The wall street journal was able to report in mid may that on that trip, the italy and hungary trip, that trip also specifically included nra members and donors paying more than 18,000 just for him to have a european chauffeur on that trip. 18,300 for his chauffeur on the european trip. All paid for by members of the nra. So why has all this stuff been coming out . Like, at least every couple of weeks, often once a week, sometimes one day after another. Theres like another one of these revelations about what the nra is doing with the money it takes in in donations and membership fees. All these revelations appear to be the product of whatever complex cat fight is going on among these boys as they sue each other and countersue each other and denounce each other and force each other out and declare victory. Who actually knows whats going on among these fellows, but were getting the revelations apparently because of the fight amongst them, and whether or not you care about the fight, were getting a ton of information. Whats been revealed over this weird period is that the nra as legendary as it is for its wealth and its huge membership and its unparalleled sway in washington. Theyre spending their donors money on suits and jet trips and awesome resorts. Within the past couple weeks new reporting from the wall street journal has taken it to a more ridiculous level. Last year the nra had been pursuing the prospect of buying the ceo a 10,000 square foot mansion. Now, this is not, like, shaming Wayne Lapierre who wants to live in a rich house. Who cares where he wants to live. This is the nra using money from their donors and members to set wayne la pierre up in this mansion that he and his wife picked out in texas. Have you seen the pictures . Heres the view up the drive. You might think thats the front of the house, but no, false front. Thats just the front of the house that opens on to the formal courtyard which is where the real magic begins. Heres, like, sort of a view of the main room. Heres the kitchen with gold fittings on the stove. Also see the fireplace in the kitchen . Behold what would have been waynes master suite. This is a bathroom where i believe you could get really, really clean. Heres the mens closet area. In case you get exhausted in your clause closet, you can freshen up. This is just for the men. Its separate from another whole closet area. You should stick a pin in that for a moment. As you can tell n this kind of closet space is wholly inadequate for somebody like wayne. Heres the gym. Heres, i think where you punish kids when theyre bad. Heres where you go when youre bad. Heres a detail on the antique marble fireplace. I think they call this an outdoor room where if you dont want to look at the lake or at the golf course, you can look at the tv. Heres another view of the lake from the hot tub. Heres the full Employment Program area for topiary cutters. Heres the view of the house from the lake. It gives you a sense of the scale. But i think this is this one, this drone shot really gives you the full appreciation. Just feast your eyes on that for a second. If you have an uncle wound up about gun rights so he paid his hard earned money. This is the kind of thing that the nra has been doing with his money. The nra when this was first reported, initially denied that this whole mansion thing had anything to do with them. Not a cent of nra money went toward this house. And it is true that this house ultimately did not get bought. You can still buy it today if you would like to. I have to tell you it has nine bathrooms. Youre going to need to invest in you know, a lot of bathroom stuff. Nine bathrooms. Theres four bedrooms. Nine bathrooms. If you put a person in every bedroom, each of those people get their own bathroom plus another one, and then theres a spare. Nine bathrooms. After the initial denials by the nra to the wall street journal, the Washington Post was able to figure out more details about what happened here. Quote, he and his wife were intensely involved in the selection of the property. Rejecting an upscale highrise in dallas in favor of a 10,000 square foot estate with lake front and golf course views on the market for about 6 million. They wanted to secure a social membership at the exclusive golf club. They also sought the purchase of two weeks and to keep the current owners golf cart, if possible. Now, it wasnt all roses. One aspect of the property that concerned mrs. La pie yar was the lack of space in the mens closet in the master bedroom. Quote, the mens master bedroom and bathroom need some changes. Theres not much closet space. Not if youre spending 39,000 a day at a Beverly Hills suit boutique. The discussions about the estate which was not purchased is under scrutiny. The transaction was slated to be made through a corporate entity that received a 70,000 wire from the nra in 2018. Hold on a minute. I thought the nra said they didnt spend a time huh. The actual check, there it is. The 70,000 check was published in the newspaper. Less than a week later by the wall street journal. Now, as this story kept trickling out and kept outpacing their denials the nra got more and more wound up in the denials about the mansion. Quote, not one dime of the nras money was spent on this venture. Okay. Fine. But then the day after the wall street journal published the 70 ,000 nra check for the mansion, we found out where the rest of the money to buy the mansion was slated to come from as well. Quote, a top nra executive signed a document agreeing that the nra would be a 99 owner of a company formed to buy a 6 million dallas mansion for the nra ceo. Thats according to a copy of the document reviewed by the wall street journal. The document also shows the nra agreed to contribute 6. 5 million to that company that was being formed to buy the property. Quote, this raises yet more questions about the nras previous statements that none of the nras money was to be used to purchase the house for the ceo. Now today inevitably, theres more. I mean, at this point its embarrassing to even say this stuff. The daily beast got this story today. The nra spent tens of thousands of dollars bringing hair and makeup artists around the country for the wife of its ceo. The expenses included plane flights and luxury hotel stays for waynes wifes stylists. Whatever you think of the nra, maybe youre a member of the nra or you know somebody who is. I have nra members in my extended family. Whether or not you know anybody who belongs to the group or gives them money, youve seen the nra member stickers in the back of peoples cars and trucks and stuff. Now you know that every time you see one of those, you can hold it in your heart a little bit the fact that what that persons nra membership dues went toward. What their donation to the nra went toward was waynes wifes stylists being flown all over the country to a company for her events, hair and makeup. The stylists also got airfare and hotels in addition to being paid for their services. Also pink sand bahamas vacations and the initial payments on what they almost bought for wayne and his wife if only, if only it had had enough closet space for his italian suit wardrobe which your nra member buddy paid for with their donation. Nra fundraising appeals are always a portrait of desperation. All right . Stop the nra shutdown. Please give as generously as you can. Save the nra. The nra cannot survive without your help. As you well know, gun haters have tried for decades to destroy your gun rights. The nra cannot survive without your help. Save the nra. Contribute by phone. When they use lines like that to get gun owners to part with their hardearned money, we now know what those membership dollars actually fund. And this is important whether or not you care about the nra. This is important for the country. Because, i mean, once again, were having another serious moment as a country where in revulsion after more Mass Shootings were thinking seriously about the prospects for gun policy reform. Were heading into a president ial election season. Theres a reason that democrats are feeling their oats. Heading into a president ial election season, it is hard to ignore that such huge majorities of the public like 90 majorities of the public actually do want Something Like universal background checks nationwide in order for anybody to be able to buy a gun. There have been recent reports that the nra and specifically the ceo have been whispering in president trumps ear telling him no, you cant support background checks. You said you liked background checks . That was a mistake. You definitely cant support that. That will look terrible for you if you support that. And okay, thats to be expected when it comes to the nra. But now after these four or five months about what weve learned from the nra, now we know the advice is coming from the guy who is using his members moneys to try to buy himself mansions and fly his wifes hair and makeup artists all over the country when she wants them. Its been an amazing few months in terms of the revelations about this all powerful group. Now, new trouble. And that story is next. Stay with us. So i know theres a big need for new gasx maximum strength. It relieves pressure, bloating and discomfort fast. So no one needs to know youve got gas. Gasx. This was january, 2018. A big scoop from a wire service. Fbi investigating whether russian money went to nra to help trump in the 2016 campaign. The story said the fbi was looking into whether a top russian banker with ties to the kremlin illegally funneled money to the nra to help donald trump win the presidency. That russian banker tied to the kremlin we know is alexander torsion seen here with his famous protege bu tina. She spread guilty to infiltrating the nra and other american conservative groups as an unregistered agent working on behalf of the kremlin. Despite a ton of reporting on russia and butina and the russian efforts to influence the nra, we never heard of what b