Judge Rules Against NRA Motion to Prevent Testimony; New Revelation that Former NRA Executive Took the “Fifth”
Filing Summary
At a bankruptcy hearing on March 24, federal bankruptcy court Judge Harlin Hale denied the NRA’s request for a protective order to stop the New York Attorney General’s Office (NYAG) from taking the deposition of Gayle Stanford. The NYAG’s deposition will now go forward in advance of the upcoming trial in the bankruptcy court.
Ms. Stanford was a travel consultant who booked travel for NRA executives. In their filing to the court (attached below), the NYAG noted Ms. Stanford “has first-hand information that will demonstrate waste, diversion and misuse of NRA assets in regard to chartered flights, luxury travel expenses, and excess benefit transactions within the NRA…” (p.4). The NYAG adds that her testimony will “go to the core issues of fraud, dishonesty and gross-mismanagement.”
Perhaps even more revealing, during oral argument on the motion on March 24, counsel for the NYAG revealed that former NRA CFO Wilson Phillips had “taken the 5th Amendment” at his recent deposition so as, in the words of the attorney, to “not criminally implicate himself.” The attorney for the NYAG noted that Phillips’ lawyer had designated the entire deposition transcript “confidential”, so at this time he was not at liberty – in open court – to discuss the details of the deposition.