Retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North pushed back on the suggestion that he is a gunrunner the day after he was tapped to lead the National Rifle Association.

North appeared on Tuesday's "Fox & Friends" show and was asked about a Los Angeles Times story that called him "one of the most infamous gunrunners in the world."

North said that characterization, which stems from his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, is nonsense.

"The folks who are doing the disinformation campaign just don't say slanderous things like that about me," North said. "What they've come to do is starting to ask questions of reporters to have them go ask the NRA, 'Are you really missing $10 million out of your accounts? Is it true the NRA has lost firearms?' Those are the kinds of things that of course our colleagues in the mainstream media are more than willing to ask.

"The bottom line of it, it's a totally fictional story."

The Iran-Contra scandal involved the sale of weapons to Iran, the proceeds of which were sent to right-wing rebels in Nicaragua via a shell company. North was eventually convicted in 1989 on three charges, a decision that was later tossed out.

The NRA announced Monday that North will be its next president, replacing Pete Brownell.

North also told Fox that the NRA is under attack from multiple directions.

"This is a time when you need a Marine at the top of the pyramid at the National Rifle Association. It is under attack. Quite frankly, I have never seen anything quite like it," North said. "They've hacked into almost everything they could. They have threatened officers, directors, the staff.

"The harassment goes beyond simply yelling at people. It now includes vandalism. It is slashed tires and broken windshields, things like that. There is no place for that in America."