Michigan GOP “Rocked By Controversy,” Joins State Republicans in Chaos

This weekend, Michigan Republicans devolved into the same chaos that has engulfed GOP parties in Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and across the country — as the outgoing and incoming MI GOP state chairs accused each of other corruption and bizarrely drew comparisons to 1930s Nazi Germany.

See for yourself:

Detroit Free Press: Michigan GOP chair Laura Cox accuses proposed successor of ‘secret deal’ with party funds: “Cox made the accusations against Weiser, who is a U-M regent, in a Thursday morning email, saying she ‘in good conscience cannot sit quietly’ and watch Weiser be elected when ‘he cannot and should not be the Republican Party chair’ because of ‘a secret deal’ she says he orchestrated with party funds. Weiser hit back Thursday, accusing Cox of making ‘baseless allegations’ in a ‘desperate attempt to smear my name, based on a long-standing political grudge, and her inability to hold onto the job of party chair that she could not keep on her own merits.’”

ClickOnDetroit: Michigan GOP elects new leadership amid accusations of corruption: “Weiser won the seat for the third time in his career alongside Meshawn Maddock as new co-chair. Both were embroiled in scandal before the election. Weiser was accused of corruption in a pay-off scheme during his time as chair in 2018 and Maddock is under scrutiny for her role in chartering more than a dozen buses from Michigan to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

Michigan Advance: Michigan GOP convention rocked by controversy, as Weiser compares criticism of him to 1930s Germany “Weiser — a former ambassador, real estate developer and former Michigan GOP chair — then wrote to Vice President and Secretary of the University Sally Churchill, as well as copied the board of regents and U of M President Mark Schlissel, saying it ‘might be nice if some or all of my fellow board members say something about my service or largess to the University.’ ‘Silence has historical consequences. Remember Germany in the 1930’s,’ Weiser wrote.”

Crain’s Detroit Business: Misfired emails, political payoff allegations create woes for Weiser as GOP chairman vote nears: “Michigan GOP Chairwoman Laura Cox on Thursday jumped back into the race to lead the party for the next two years — and alleged that Weiser used $200,000 in party funds during his last term as chairman as a ‘payoff’ to get Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot to drop out of the Secretary of State’s race in 2018.”

See also:

  • In Arizona: Wall Street Journal Editorial: Arizona Republican Meltdown: “The Arizona meltdown illustrates Mr. Trump’s potential as a former President to damage the GOP for years.”

  • In Georgia: Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘A mess.’ Georgia politicians prepare for brutal 2022 battles: “Down the ticket, some Republican officeholders are in the same position as Kemp — bracing for tough potential primary challenges from Trump’s allies before they can think about facing a Democrat. Some are weighing whether to hang it up. And Republicans are increasingly concerned that U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene could threaten other GOP contenders if she runs for statewide office — and drag down the ticket even if she doesn’t because of her bigoted comments and embrace of conspiracy theories.”

  • In New Hampshire: WMUR: After 4-hour Zoom chaos, NHGOP adjourns annual meeting with no vote on chair, vice chair: “Voice votes on preliminary matters became episodes of insults being hurled at the moderator. ‘I do not appreciate the insults,’ meeting parliamentarian Bryan Gould said at one point. ‘We’re going to drive people away with this type of behavior.’ The response from one unidentified party member was: ‘This meeting is a joke.’’

  • In Pennsylvania: Politico: Pennsylvania GOP pledges full allegiance to Trump: “‘The Republican Party’s recent political freefall in the southeast has resulted in a lot of centrist Republicans either not seeking reelection or losing reelection,’ said Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican who has been targeted by Trump for pushing back against baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the city. ‘It certainly lessened the influence of moderate Republicans.”

  • In Wisconsin: The Cap Times: Wisconsin Republicans grapple with state of party post-Trump: “Many Republicans who spoke with the Cap Times in the last few weeks agreed the party in Wisconsin was to some extent split…’I think that there’s a chance of a real fracture coming.’…’The Republican Party is now fully controlled by the Trump movement and to appeal to those voters, they’re just going to make outlandish promises…And that’s not a winning formula in the long term. And it’s not a moral formula in the long term either.’”