Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association, told a judge that appointing a financial monitor would be "equivalent to putting a knife straight through the heart of the organization and twisting it."
According to The Associated Press, LaPierre made the remarks Monday on the final day of arguments in a case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The attorney general is seeking an independent monitor for the NRA after LaPierre and another deputy were found guilty of misspending millions of dollars of the organization's funds.
The AP said that LaPierre told the judge in Monday's hearing that a monitor would be an "existential threat to the group because it would send a message to prospective members and donors that the NRA was 'being surveilled by this attorney general in New York.'"
"General James will have achieved her objective to fulfill that campaign promise of, in effect, dissolving the NRA for a lack of money and a lack of members," LaPierre claimed.
The former head of the organization also argued against a ban on his future participation in the gun group. However, NRA attorney Sarah Rogers told the judge that the organization had no plans to rehire LaPierre.
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In a statement, James said, "LaPierre used charitable dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle, spending millions on luxury travel, expensive clothes, insider contracts, and other perks for himself and his family."
"LaPierre and senior leaders at the NRA blatantly abused their positions and broke the law," she added.
