The world – and New York attorney general Tish James – now have a refined sense of National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre’s taste in home decor.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the NRA had planned to buy a $6 million mansion for LaPierre near Dallas.
According to the report, LaPierre was “worried about being targeted” in the wake of the 2018 Parkland High School shooting in Florida, which left 17 dead. The NRA chief reportedly demanded “a more secure place to live,” preferring the mansion over a Dallas high rise with security features.
The potential transaction – only contemplated, never fulfilled – is reportedly being examined by James’ office, which is conducting a wide-ranging investigation of whether the NRA has complied with New York state non-profit requirements.
The mansion itself is located in Westlake and is listed on Zillow for $5.25 million, after a few price drops from its initial listing price of $7.5 million.
Pictures from the property show a mishmash of lavish styles, all contained in what might generously be called a baroque French exterior. The property sits on the shore of a lake within a gated golfing community called Vaquero.
The property’s listing agent Jeff Watson told TPM that neither LaPierre, nor the NRA, nor any agent representing the NRA ever contacted him in connection with the property.
“It’s in a community that’s a high-end golf community, and it’s guard-gated,” Watson told TPM. “And that’s in an area where there’s good schools, so that’s the draw of this development.”
Vaquero – the high-end golf community – markets itself as “the ultimate lifestyle experience,” and offers a full-time staff “to take the daily chores out of your life.”
Those daily chores appear to include dry cleaning, chauffeured transportation, “floral and gift services,” and an on-site car wash.
To get a sense of what LaPierre aspired to experience on the NRA dime, take a look below:
In general, the community gives the impression of a suburban baby boomer fantasy on steroids.
One video on the Vaquero website titled “come home” shows people frolicking by the lake, with residents fishing and golfing, and with children dressed up in American flag regalia as they enjoy swing sets and mechanical bulls.
In one scene, a group of six men take up what appear to be paintball guns and fire at the lake at point-blank range.
Vaquero did not immediately return a request for comment.
“These accusations against the NRA and Mr. LaPierre are just the latest installment of a smear campaign — a reputational attack designed to enable a small band of wrongdoers to avoid scrutiny of their own action,” NRA spokesman Andrew Arulandam told TPM in a statement.
Take a look at a video of the gated golf course community here:
