The reason given was that he was stepping down for "health reasons".
It is possible that, by "retiring" now, he will get to keep his benefits package. It is also possible that he's an old man now, and the "great game" no longer has its charm for him.
Another possibility is that, if he's no longer the President, he might not face the same penalties when the NY lawsuit brings the hammer down on him.
LaPierre did some good work for us, in the beginning, but when he went off the rails and made himself "President for Life" (or as close as was possible) and then began using the NRA treasury as his own personal piggy bank, he failed us all, miserably.
Fox news is now reporting that Joshua Powell, the executive director and chief of staff has reached a settlement with the NY AG. He will testify at the trial, pay the NRA back $100,000 and "forego further non profit involvement".
The NY AG publicly stated her goal was to "destroy the NRA", and while a court ruling won't allow her to sink the ship, with the trial date approaching, it seems that at least some of the rats at the helm are abandoning the ship and seeking to cut their own deals.
There is no doubt in my mind that the state of New York, through their AG, will work very hard to convict someone of something. And when they do they will declare victory, the end of their territorial demands in Europe, and send us home with a paper declaring "peace in our time".
(intentional sarcasm)
Until they want more.....