Tom Kutsch

Tom Kutsch was The Trace's newsletter editor from 2019 to 2022.

Lawsuit Alleges LaPierre Sought to Block Internal Probe of NRA Spending

National Rifle Association

Lawsuit Alleges LaPierre Sought to Block Internal Probe of NRA Spending

A countersuit by ousted NRA president Oliver North points to the gun group leader’s “total dictatorial control over the NRA.”

Alex Yablon and Tom Kutsch
NRA’s Top Lobbyist and Its Longtime Marketing Firm Are Newest Casualties of Turmoil

National Rifle Association

NRA’s Top Lobbyist and Its Longtime Marketing Firm Are Newest Casualties of Turmoil

Chris Cox announced he was leaving the organization after being suspended last week. Separately, the gun group severed ties with Ackerman McQueen amid an ongoing legal battle.

Tom Kutsch
NRA Suspends Top Lobbyist Chris Cox Amid Continuing Turmoil

National Rifle Association

NRA Suspends Top Lobbyist Chris Cox Amid Continuing Turmoil

The gun group alleged in a new lawsuit that its second-ranking leader was part of an April attempt to oust Wayne LaPierre.

Tom Kutsch
Amid National Controversy, the NRA Still Notched a Number of Statewide Victories This Year

National Rifle Association

Amid National Controversy, the NRA Still Notched a Number of Statewide Victories This Year

The pre-eminent gun rights organization is mired in scandal, but its political influence across the United States remains vast.

Tom Kutsch
NRA, Longtime PR Firm Escalate Feud With Dueling Lawsuits

National Rifle Association

NRA, Longtime PR Firm Escalate Feud With Dueling Lawsuits

For the second time in two months, The National Rifle Association is taking its longtime marketing firm Ackerman McQueen to court. This time, Ackerman is firing back. Late Wednesday, NRA lawyers filed suit against Ackerman in Virginia Circuit…

Tom Kutsch
Read the Leaked NRA Docs That Detail Wayne LaPierre’s Lavish Spending

National Rifle Association

Read the Leaked NRA Docs That Detail Wayne LaPierre’s Lavish Spending

Weeks after the massacre at Sandy Hook, while addressing a hunting conference in Reno, Nevada, the National Rifle Association’s leader, Wayne LaPierre, decried the hypocrisy of political “elites” who were pushing for stronger gun laws while protected by armed security…

Tom Kutsch
Democratic Senators Probe NRA, Marketing Firm Over Self-Dealing

Bang for the Buck

Democratic Senators Probe NRA, Marketing Firm Over Self-Dealing

The request for documents from NRA head Wayne LaPierre, former president Oliver North, and PR agency Ackerman McQueen is another sign of trouble for the group.

Tom Kutsch
NRA Boss Wayne LaPierre Rebuffs Call to Resign in Dramatic Letter to Board

Bang for the Buck

NRA Boss Wayne LaPierre Rebuffs Call to Resign in Dramatic Letter to Board

An internal power struggle has spilled into the open at the NRA’s annual convention, with LaPierre accusing board President Oliver North of “extortion.”

Miles Kohrman and Tom Kutsch
Maria Butina, Russian Who Worked to Infiltrate NRA, Sentenced to 18 Months

National Rifle Association

Maria Butina, Russian Who Worked to Infiltrate NRA, Sentenced to 18 Months

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist who pleaded guilty in December to a conspiracy against the United States, to 18 months in prison. The term, which includes the nine months Butina has…

Tom Kutsch
Listen to an Ex-NRA Fundraiser Describe the Organization’s Financial Excesses

National Rifle Association

Listen to an Ex-NRA Fundraiser Describe the Organization’s Financial Excesses

Working for the National Rifle Association was like a dream for Aaron Davis. A committed supporter of gun rights since his youth, Davis landed a job on the NRA’s fundraising team in 2005. But as he told The Trace’s Mike…

Tom Kutsch