AP: 10 Charges to Jeff Frederick
AP Breaks the Frederick letter
Here is the letter in its entirety for the curious among you. Notice the issues with kickbacks (A reader suggested to me that this was not a correct term – would you deem money paid by the RPV to a private firm that the chairman owns a kickback? I’ll leave it to your judgment.), transparency and breech of security:
Notice of Intent to Remove Jeff Frederick as State Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia
We, the undersigned members of the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia, and in accordance with Article VII, Sections B and C of the Plan of Organization, do hereby call a meeting of the State Central Committee to take place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the Richmond Marriott West, 4240 Dominion Blvd., Glen Allen, VA 23060. An agenda for the meeting is attached.
We further issue this Notice that removal of Jeff Frederick as RPV State Chairman will be sought at said meeting on the following charges:
1. Failure to transmit, in a timely manner, online contributions made to the Republican Party of Virginia and processed by his own company. Withholding 7% of online contributions made to the RPV for a period of weeks during the summer of 2008 after repeatedly assuring the Executive Committee that he was not using his company as a vendor for RPV. [ed. Chairman Frederick called this allegation "False and without merit". Please see this post which includes a payment to Frederick's company.]
2. Repeated failure to fully comply with a July 22, 2008 directive unanimously adopted by the RPV Executive Committee to disclose existing and pending contracts with vendors.
3. Unauthorized expenditures of RPV funds for unbudgeted activities without either State Central Committee or Executive Committee consent.
4. Failure to provide members of the State Central Committee with a reasonable time to review and consider the proposed 2009 budget prior to proposed adoption by the State Central Committee. Failure to provide one or more members of the State Central Committee with any opportunity to see the proposed budget prior to the meeting.
5. Disregard for the minimal rights of members of the State Central Committee to participate in discussion and debate at the December 2008 meeting by refusing to recognize numerous members attempting to speak and failing to ascertain the required 2/3 vote necessary to end debate. Lack of transparency in the budget process by giving members less than 36 hours to consider the budget rather than the usual three weeks.
6. Corruption of process by failing to conduct a proper vote on the 2009 budget by (1) beginning, but not completing, either a hand count or roll call vote, both properly called for; and (2) unilaterally declaring the vote result without even a partial count of those in favor and no count whatsoever of those opposed.
7. Failure to “promptly convene” the Appeals Committee upon timely receipt of an appeal of a ruling by the General Counsel.
8. Circumventing the State Central Committee by appointing committees and otherwise assuming Duties clearly prescribed in Article III, Section D. as duties of the State Central Committee without consultation or authorization.
9. Damage to the reputation and effectiveness of the Republican Party of Virginia through refusal to coordinate activities, including campaign messages, with Republican nominees for public office
10. Failure to notify the Executive Committee of a possible breach of security and/or compromise of security of data residing on servers and failure to act promptly to investigate potential breach when requested to do so.
Category: Campaigns and Elections
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What I find interesting is how much a lot of this is sour grapes. As for what I consider the primary charge.
“Withholding 7% of online contributions made to the RPV for a period of weeks during the summer of 2008 after repeatedly assuring the Executive Committee that he was not using his company as a vendor for RPV. [ed. Chairman Frederick called this allegation "False and without merit". Please see this post which includes a payment to Frederick's company.]”
The only amount that I’ve seen that was withheld was less than $2,000 and if it indeed was only for a period of weeks then what is the fuss about? It was not as if Jeff made any money off this deal.
I think what needs to happen is we all need to stop this fighting. It is stupid. Jeff ruffled some feathers in his attempt to re-org things and he has made some mistakes but the biggest mistakes I’ve seen have not rested with Jeff Frederick. I remember when many of those attacking Jeff now refused to endorse enthusiastically our Senate candidate, the honorable Gov Jim Gilmore. I remember how the McCain campaign couldn’t decide whether they wanted to fight or bend over. One day they were attacking Obama, the next they were apologizing and saying how great a person he was. I also was surprised about the lack of GOTV and it was in stark contrast to the Obama machine.
I signed up as a volunteer for Obama so I could monitor what was going on and every week I received a call from a volunteer who was imploring me to get out and help. The Obama folks had several dozen people in Chester every weekend. Sometimes we had none. I know Chester wasn’t in play but I don’t understand what the point of having people sign up if you aren’t going to call or email them. I work 50-60 hours a week traveling and every weekend I could I was out going door to door. I drafted my daughter and son and even took a stroller out when my wife couldn’t keep my two little boys and no one showed up to help. I also worked tirelessly for Gov. Gilmore and had to listen to disgusting Republicans who had been convinced he left the state’s finances in a mess which was an absolute lie but the same petty politics that is on display now in the attacks on Frederick are were on display among many in this state concerning Gilmore. Many of these central committee members did not do their jobs in providing a unified front. They sat by passively and some even added to the fire offering veiled attacks. Never have I been so disappointed except now.
Come one people, the people we should be fighting are the liberals who are literally destroying the country we love. Someone needs to throw down an olive branch and work something out. Jeff was elected to his term. The allegations up to this point have been specious and rather small. I think Jeff himself could help things by calling a press conference and simply throwing down this olive branch. We need to get our act together and stop just talking about how bad the other guy is because that is a fact but people need to see the alternative they will be voting for.
We have failed in that respect by equivocating when we should be speaking clearly and confidently on what we believe. Right now what people are seeing more and more every day is an ugly smallness. I’ve never dreamed I’d see some of the stuff from Eric, Bob, and others who I’ve always had respect for. Come on get together behind closed doors and reach a compromise that everyone can live with without crucifying our Chairman over small stuff. Keith Olbermann may call Jeff the “Worst Person in the World” but we shouldn’t be taking up his talking points. The Democrats never would be taking apart one of their own like this especially not a chairman over such weak sour grapes charges. There is no need for this fire. If anyone needs removed it is our National Chair who has seemed to have lost his mind.
Well said Fred Newbrough!
At least some people recognize suicide when they see it!
Could someone explain to me why JF would have a “personal”-type account where RPV funds would go and be “held”? Why would online contributions not go straight into an RPV account? If I read this correctly, someone besides JF needs to be ousted for sheer stupidity in setting up the party’s banking structure. Someone please clear this up as I’m new to the Republican infrastructure.
And, good job, Fred Newbrough! You are they type of person the party needs more of! Workers!
[...] You can find the complete letter at Bearing Drift. [...]
[...] the next few weeks, we may see each side roll out support for their various positions, but the letter or intent by the State Central Committee late last week and Chairman Jeff Frederick’s letter to the [...]
Oh please! If any member of the SCC had any actual evidence of him keeping money, there would be no meeting, no vote, no controversy. He’d be in jail right now. The fact that he isn’t should be enough to poke some holes in your embarassing attempt to steal Mr. Frederick away from his duly elected post.
The very fact that it took this long for the letter to get out reeks of backroom deals and armtwisting in an attempt at a secret coup.
The instigators of this shameful power grab ought to think long and hard about how tenous thier positions really are, given that they have likely kicked over the hornet’s nest of thousands of angry delegates who voted Jeff in fair and square.
Ed – It is my understanding that “it took this long for the letter to get out” because it was meant to be a private matter between SCC and Jeff Frederick. And angry delegates weren’t there because Jeff Frederick fired them up but because Bob Marshall did.
[...] Here Bearing Drift lists the charges. There are ten of them. What a nice round number! [...]
[...] has a long list of accusations to which he’s responded verbosely to excuse all of them (read like O.J. Simpson). Even if [...]
[...] to why Frederick would seek counsel and many Frederick supporters have contended that none of the ten points the SCC filed against Frederick amount to illegal [...]
[...] Let’s focus on the first charge, which is probably the most damaging: 1. Failure to transmit, in a timely manner, online contributions made to the Republican Party of Virginia and processed by his own company. Withholding 7% of online contributions made to the RPV for a period of weeks during the summer of 2008 after repeatedly assuring the Executive Committee that he was not using his company as a vendor for RPV. [...]