Following Cat Torturing Scandal, Trump Bails on the NRA Just Two Weeks Before Election Day

Recently-Appointed NRA Chief Pleaded No Contest to Animal Cruelty Over Incident in Which Cat was Tortured and Killed, According to Court Documents

SAVANNAH, GA - After a Guardian exposé found NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty in the cruel 1979 killing of his University fraternity's cat, Donald Trump has canceled his keynote address at an NRA Defend the 2nd Amendment event next week in Georgia. Organizers cited a "scheduling conflict," though the former President will still attend a rally in Gwinnett County the following evening.

"Just when the NRA thought their week couldn't get any worse, Trump has decided to bail on their marquee event two weeks before Election Day," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "This will surely do nothing to stem the NRA staff rebellion that is already demanding a scandal-plagued Doug Hamlin's resignation. At least when Wayne LaPierre was ripping off NRA members he could actually deliver Donald Trump as a speaker."

On May 20, 2024, Doug Hamlin was elected by the NRA's board of directors to be the organization's next Executive Vice President, a position formerly held by longtime NRA leader Wayne LaPierre. LaPierre resigned in January 2024, on the eve of the group's trial in New York, which centered on allegations by New York Attorney General Letitia James that NRA leaders improperly diverted millions of dollars from the non-profit to benefit executives. For the 10 years prior to Hamlin's election to lead the NRA, he served as the Executive Director of the NRA's publishing division.

Hamlin's election to Executive Vice President was somewhat unexpected - the slated officer to take LaPierre's place, as put forth by the NRA's Nominating Committee, was Ronnie Barrett of Barrett Firearms. That said, Hamlin had been previously floated by LaPierre himself as a potential successor. In a 2021 deposition, LaPierre listed Hamlin as one of a list "of good people in this organization that I'm sure the board would look at" to replace him. The NRA Board of Directors vote between Barrett and Hamlin, taken just a few months ago, was reportedly decided by only four votes. It is unclear if these revelations about Hamlin's past will cause the Board to reconsider Hamlin's continued leadership at the NRA.

Here's what you need to know about the Hamlin expose:

• On January 19, 1980, the Detroit Free Press reported that "five former University of Michigan fraternity members have pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of killing the fraternity's house cat." Reportedly, the five had "chopped off the cat's paws, hung it from a tree, then set it on fire." A "Douglas Hamlin of Grosse Pointe Woods, president of the Ann Arbor chapter of Alpha Delta Phi" was one of the five charged under an Ann Arbor city ordinance.

• On January 24, 1980, the Detroit Free Press reported that all five suspects were "expelled from the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity."

• On April 22, 1980, the Associated Press reported that all five defendants were sentenced to 200 hours of community service work and a $360 fine. In March 1980, the judge in the case, S.J. Elden, reportedly called the crime "an unconscionable and heinous act" that was "inexcusable under any circumstances" and bemoaned the "cover-up" that ensued. In particular, the judge reportedly "chastised Hamlin for his role in the crime, and said Hamlin, as the fraternity's leader, could have prevented the incident from occurring."

• The April 1980 Associated Press article reported that the cat's remains were found by fraternity cook Earl Carl, who the fraternity "subsequently fired." Carl filed a $300,000 civil suit in the Washtenaw County, Michigan Circuit Court against the five defendants as well as the fraternity for emotional distress and breach of contract.

• Despite his clear involvement, Doug Hamlin downplayed the allegations in his response this week. "I do not in any way condone the actions that took place more than 44 years ago. I took responsibility for this regrettable incident as chapter president although I wasn't directly involved," he said.

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