Editing Oliver North (section)

== Politics ==
{{Conservatism US|commentators}}
In the [[1994 United States Senate election in Virginia|1994 election]], North unsuccessfully ran for the [[United States Senate]] as the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] candidate in [[Virginia]]. Republican senator [[John Warner]] of Virginia endorsed [[Marshall Coleman]], a Republican who ran as an independent, instead of North. North lost, garnering 43 percent of votes, while incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Charles Robb]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1994/94Stat.htm#46 |title=Statistics Of The Congressional Election Of November 8, 1994|website=Clerk.house.gov |access-date=June 23, 2011}}</ref> a son-in-law of President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], won reelection with 46 percent. Coleman received 11 percent. North's candidacy was documented in the 1996 film ''[[A Perfect Candidate]]''.<ref name="perfect"/>

[[File:Oliver North 2.jpg|thumb|left|Oliver North in 2005, pictured with [[Clinton Township, Franklin County, Ohio|Clinton Township]], Franklin County, Ohio Assistant Fire Chief John Harris and Lieutenant Douglas Brown, at a public speaking event]]
In his failed bid to unseat Robb, North raised $20.3 million in a single year through nationwide direct-mail solicitations, telemarketing, fundraising events, and contributions from major donors. About $16 million of that amount was from direct mail alone. This was the biggest accumulation of direct-mail funds for a statewide campaign to that date, and it made North the top direct-mail political fundraiser in the country in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ollie, Inc.: how Oliver North raised over $20&nbsp;million in a losing U.S. Senate race|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17195256.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508054754/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17195256.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2018|access-date=September 24, 2007}}</ref>

=== Freedom Alliance ===
In 1990, North founded the Freedom Alliance, a [[501(c)(3)]] foundation "to advance the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States, and promoting a strong national defense." The foundation's primary activities include providing support for wounded combat soldiers and providing scholarships for the children of service members killed in action.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://freedomalliance.org/about|title=About Freedom Alliance|publisher=Freedom Alliance|access-date=June 16, 2016|archive-date=August 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807101422/https://freedomalliance.org/about|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Beginning in 2003, [[Sean Hannity]] has raised over $10 million for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund through Freedom Concerts and donations from ''[[The Sean Hannity Show]]'' and its listeners. The charity has been criticized by conservative blogger [[Debbie Schlussel]] for distributing too little of its funds for charitable purposes.<ref>{{cite news|title=A concert with an attitude: Sean Hannity's benefit show isn't without controversy|first=James D. Jr.|last=Watts|work=McClatchy – Tribune Business News|location=Washington|date=August 19, 2010}}</ref> Hannity, North, and other charity spokespersons say that all of the "net" proceeds from the Freedom Concerts are donated to the fund.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freedomconcerts.com/ |title=Cloud Solution Providers, Cloud Based Service Marketplace, Cloud Service Broker - AppDirect |access-date=November 18, 2009 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110044848/https://freedomconcerts.com/ |archive-date=January 10, 2016  }}</ref>

=== National Rifle Association ===
On May 7, 2018, the [[National Rifle Association]] (NRA) announced that North would become the organization's next president within the following weeks.<ref name=USATODAY-NRA>{{cite news|last1=Shesgreen|first1=Deirdre|title=Oliver North poised to become next National Rifle Association president|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/05/07/oliver-north-poised-next-national-rifle-association-president/587072002/|work=USA Today|date=May 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lt. Colonel Oliver North Poised to Become NRA President|url=https://home.nra.org/lt-colonel-oliver-north-poised-to-become-nra-president/|website=NRA.org|publisher=National Rifle Association of America|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-date=May 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512112156/https://home.nra.org/lt-colonel-oliver-north-poised-to-become-nra-president/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He succeeded Pete Brownell, the incumbent. North is a board member in the NRA and appeared at NRA national conventions in 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.showmenews.com/2007/Apr/20070413News013.asp|title=Bolton, Oliver North among speakers at NRA conferences|website=Showmenews.com|access-date=June 23, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070814000103/http://www.showmenews.com/2007/Apr/20070413News013.asp|archive-date=August 14, 2007}}</ref> and 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nraila.org/articles/20080417/nra-s-annual-meetings-exhibits-2008|title=NRA's Annual Meetings & Exhibits 2008: A Celebration of American Values|date=April 17, 2008|website=NRA Institute for Legislative Action}}</ref> North began his term as president in September 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/27/717808885/oliver-north-says-he-will-not-seek-a-2nd-term-as-nra-president |title=Oliver North Says He Will Not Seek A 2nd Term As NRA President |last=Mak |first=Tim |date=April 27, 2019 |work=NPR |access-date=April 27, 2019 }}</ref>

In April 2019, in the midst of a wide-ranging dispute involving the NRA's chief executive [[Wayne LaPierre]], the NRA's advertising agency [[Ackerman McQueen]], and the NRA's law firm Brewer Attorneys & Counselors,<ref name=nyt20190426>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/26/business/nra-wayne-lapierre-oliver-north.html |title=Insurgents Seek to Oust Wayne LaPierre in N.R.A. Power Struggle |last=Hakim |first=Danny |date=April 26, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 27, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> North announced that he would not serve a second term as president,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/us/oliver-north-nra.html |title=Oliver North Says He Will Not Serve Another Term as N.R.A. President |last1=Hakim |first1=Danny |date=April 27, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 27, 2019 |last2=Mele |first2=Christopher |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=cnbc20190427>{{cite news |title=Oliver North will not serve second term as NRA president amid bitter infighting at gun rights group |date=April 27, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |publisher=[[CNBC]] |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/27/oliver-north-will-not-serve-second-term-as-nra-president-amid-bitter-infighting-at-gun-rights-group.html}}</ref> ostensibly against his wishes.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/oliver-north-out-as-nra-president-11556376506 |title=Oliver North Won't Return as NRA President |last=Maremont |first=Mark |date=April 27, 2019 |work=Wall Street Journal |access-date=April 27, 2019 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> On April 24, 2019, North asked LaPierre to resign.<ref name=nyt20190426/><ref name=nyt20190427>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=N.R.A. President to Step Down as New York Attorney General Investigates |first=Danny |last=Hakim |date=April 27, 2019 |access-date=May 30, 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/27/us/oliver-north-nra.html}}</ref> On April 16, 2019, North and NRA first vice president [[Richard Childress]] wrote to the chairman of the NRA audit committee and the NRA's secretary and general counsel calling for an independent audit of the billing from the NRA's law firm, Brewer Attorneys & Counselors.<ref name=wsj20190511>{{cite news |title=Leaked Letters Reveal Details of NRA Chief's Alleged Spending |last=Maremont |first=Mark |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=May 11, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/leaked-letters-reveal-details-of-nra-chiefs-alleged-spending-11557597601}}</ref><ref name=db20190511>{{cite news |title=Leaked Documents: NRA Racked Up $24 Million in Legal Bills |first=Betsy |last=Woodruff |date=May 11, 2019 |access-date=June 12, 2019 |agency=[[The Daily Beast]] |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/leaked-documents-nra-racked-up-dollar24-million-in-legal-bills-3}}</ref> In an April 24, 2019 letter to the executive committee of the NRA board, North said that he was forming a committee to investigate alleged financial improprieties, allegations which he said threatened the NRA's [[Nonprofit organization|non-profit status]].<ref name=wsj20190511/> In an April 25, 2019 letter to the NRA board, LaPierre said that North was threatening to release damaging information about him.<ref name=cnbc20190427/> On April 27, 2019, in a letter read on his behalf at the NRA's annual convention in [[Indianapolis]], Indiana, North announced he would not serve a second term.<ref name=nyt20190427/> North's term ended on April 29, 2019, when he was replaced by [[Carolyn D. Meadows]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/us/nra-wayne-lapierre-oliver-north.html |title=Wayne LaPierre Prevails in Fierce Battle for the N.R.A. |last=Hakim |first=Danny |date=April 29, 2019 |work=The New York Times |access-date=April 30, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On May 3, 2019, Senators [[Ron Wyden]] of Oregon, [[Sheldon Whitehouse]] of Rhode Island, and [[Bob Menendez]] of New Jersey, members of the [[United States Senate Committee on Finance|Senate Finance Committee]], wrote to North, LaPierre, and the NRA's advertising agency [[Ackerman McQueen]] requesting copies of the letters to the NRA board by North and LaPierre, seeking documents related to the allegations, and directing records preservation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Senate Democrats ask NRA execs, PR firm for documents related to alleged self-dealing |first=Katie |last=Zezima |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 2, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/senate-democrats-ask-nra-execs-pr-firm-for-documents-related-to-alleged-self-dealing/2019/05/02/870db132-6d0c-11e9-8f44-e8d8bb1df986_story.html}}</ref><ref name=newsweek20190503>{{cite news |title=Senate Democrats Probe NRA After Ex-President Oliver North Alleged Financial Wrongdoing |first=Ramsey |last=Touchberry |date=May 3, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2019 |magazine=[[Newsweek]] |url=https://www.newsweek.com/senate-democrats-nra-nonproft-probe-investigation-oliver-north-1414504}}</ref>