Schneider Urges NRA to Allow Largest Vendor to Release Documents to Congress, Cooperate with Investigation
NRA seeks to prevent Ackerman McQueen from producing documents related to alleged wrongdoing “without the NRA’s express written consent”
Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) called on the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) to allow its longtime public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen, to turn over documentation needed to determine if the organization's tax-exempt status should be revoked in light of serious allegations of self-dealing and other wrongdoing.
In a new letter to Ackerman McQueen, the NRA requested the firm adhere to its "contractual duties" and not produce any documents to Congress "without the NRA's express written consent."
"The NRA has yet to respond to my June letter requesting information on multiple allegations of self-dealing, and now they may veto relevant documents their largest vendor is willing to provide to Congress. We continue to learn more about blatant corruption and wrongdoing at the highest reaches of the NRA, which would be in direct violation of the organization's tax-exempt status. The public has a right to know whether the NRA is complying with the law and not abusing it to enrich its leadership. I urge the NRA not to block Ackerman McQueen's cooperation with our work to uncover the truth and conduct needed oversight over our nation's tax laws," said Schneider.
Background:
Schneider requested the documents from Ackerman McQueen in an August 2019 letter.
Schneider previously requested documents from the National Rifle Association (NRA) related to allegations of wrongdoing in a June 2019 letter to LaPierre.
Previously in May 2019, Schneider urged the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to investigate the tax-exempt status of the NRA in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig.
In addition, Schneider questioned the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George on this topic at a hearing of the Ways and Means Committee. When presented with hypothetical situations mirroring the allegations against the NRA, George called them "concerning," saying they would "raise questions" and warrant further investigation.