A $6M Mansion for the NRA's CEO Was ... Whose Idea?

That NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre scoped out a $6 million Dallas mansion as a possible new residence isn't being contested. What is: Whose idea it was and where the money was going to come from. The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post are out with stories about the potential estate transaction, which never came to fruition, against the backdrop of the NRA's tussle with its former ad agency, Ackerman McQueen. Their 30-year relationship fell apart earlier this year, and in April the NRA announced it was suing. The Post explains the mansion revelation comes as part of the New York attorney general's office's probe of the NRA's tax-exempt status, which surfaced documents related to the considered purchase. The Journal's sources say that after the shooting in Parkland, Fla., LaPierre was concerned about his own security and the fact that his Virginia address was widely known.

An NRA rep says then-agency CEO Angus McQueen, who died in July, suggested the agency purchase the house as an investment property for LaPierre to live in. Per the rep, "The deal was vetoed by the NRA after its full terms—including Ackerman’s intent to spend NRA money—became known." But other sources say the idea was LaPierre's, and that it was McQueen who scuttled the deal after learning its terms; per the source, LaPierre wanted to also become a member of the tony golf club beside the property, which led McQueen to question whether LaPierre's motivation was really security-based. The agency's statement: "Acting outside the parties’ Services Agreement, Mr. LaPierre sought the involvement of Ackerman McQueen ... Mr. LaPierre's actions in this regard led to Ackerman McQueen’s loss of faith in Mr. LaPierre’s decision-making." (More NRA stories.)