America, Inc
July 15, 2014
Mr. Reince Priebus
Chairman, Republican National Committee
310 First St., SE
Washington, DC 20003
Dear Mr. Priebus,
We, the undersigned, write today to express our outrage at the actions of a member of the Republican National Committee, Mississippi National Committeeman Henry Barbour, and to respectfully insist that you create a committee to investigate questionable activities surrounding the June 24 Mississippi Republican Senate nomination runoff election; that the RNC repudiate any and all unethical and potentially illegal activities associated with the runoff election; and that you and your RNC colleagues formally censure or otherwise discipline the persons responsible for those actions.
You know of the recent primary election for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Mississippi, which pitted incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran against State Sen. Chris McDaniel. What you may not be aware of, however, are the strategies and tactics deployed by Sen. Cochran and his supporters – including, specifically, those deployed by the so-called “Mississippi Conservatives PAC,” a Super PAC formed by former governor and RNC Chairman Haley Barbour, and now directed by his nephew, your colleague, Henry Barbour.
Following the June 3 primary – in which Sen. McDaniel won more votes than did Sen. Cochran, but not the outright majority necessary to win the nomination – a runoff was scheduled for June 24.
Sen. Cochran’s campaign adjusted its strategy for the runoff by deciding to reach out to Democrats, many of whom voted in the June 3 Democratic primary election. It is illegal in Mississippi for Democrats to vote in a Republican runoff election if they previously voted in the Democratic primary, and thousands of irregular and potentially illegal ballots from the runoff election have already been identified.
According to media accounts and Federal Elections Commission reports, Mississippi Conservatives PAC, at Henry Barbour’s direction, hired both James “Scooby Doo” Warren and Mitzi Bickers, two well-known Democrat political operatives, to engage and turn out Democrats for the runoff, many of whom are believed to have voted illegally in the runoff.
This strategy is in violation of Rule 11(b) of the Rules of the Republican National Committee, which makes clear the Committee’s belief that Republican nomination contests should be decided by the votes of Republicans – and which goes so far as to declare that the Republican National Committee shall not recognize as the nominee of the Republican Party any nominee whose nomination results from a process in which voters who participated in the selection of a nominee of any other party also participated in the selection of the Republican nominee.
More troubling than the strategy decision alone, however, were the unethical and potentially illegal tactics employed by Henry Barbour’s PAC in its effort to solicit Democrat votes:
- Casting Illegal Votes: Claude McInnis, the election coordinator for the Hinds County Democratic Party Executive Committee – the top Democrat election official in Hinds County – alleges that Hinds County Republican Party Chairman Pete Perry and Hinds County election commissioner Connie Cochran – who, coincidentally, is Sen. Cochran’s sister-in-law – asked Democrats to help them “break the law” by working together to have Democrats who had already voted in the June 3 Democratic primary vote again in the June 24 GOP runoff. McInnis specifically alleges that Perry and Mrs. Cochran asked him not to share poll books for the June 24 election, which would have made it impossible for GOP election officials to know whether prospective voters had already made themselves ineligible to vote in the June 24 GOP runoff because they had already voted in the June 3 Democratic primary.
- Walking Around Money: Ricky Cole, Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said in a Facebook message to a Wall Street Journal reporter that “large sums of cash are being passed around … These guys [referring to James “Scooby Doo” Warren and Pete Perry, the chairman of the Hinds County GOP, who had been paid $60,000 by Mississippi Conservatives PAC to do GOTV work in the primary] are old school ‘walking around money’ vote buyers. It is happening in Hinds County, but they are trying to move black voters in the Delta, adams [sic], Jefferson ]sic], and Claiborne [sic] too.”
- Race-Baiting Radio Ads: A radio station in Mississippi ran dishonest ads falsely declaring that black voters must get out and vote for Sen. Cochran or face losing their food stamps, free school breakfast, free school lunch. A Sen. McDaniel victory, the ad declared, would send black Mississippians back to the “good old bad days,” dishonestly implying that Sen. McDaniel would roll back civil rights.
- Race-Baiting Robo-calls: Multiple news sources reported on a robo-call that was directed into Democrat-heavy areas. Said the female voice on the call – which Henry Barbour said sounded like the voice of Mitzi Bickers, whom he had hired to conduct “outreach” to Democrat voters – “The time has come to take a stand and say NO to the Tea Party … NO to their obstruction. NO to their disrespectful treatment of the first African-American President …” The robo-call did not have the legally required disclaimers in violation of federal election law, but the language was similar to that used by the Mississippi Conservatives PAC in earlier communications.
- Race-Baiting Fliers: “The Tea Party intends to prevent blacks from voting on Tuesday” blared the false headline of a flier that was distributed to African-American voters. It dishonestly declared that Sen. McDaniel would cut spending on food stamps and public schools, and made dishonest and racially incendiary accusations against Sen. McDaniel by claiming Sen. McDaniel and the Tea Party would take black Mississippians back to a time when black Americans were denied the right to vote. The flier lacked the legally required disclaimers, a violation of federal election law, and the language was similar to that used by Mississippi Conservatives PAC in earlier communications.
- Questionable Finances: The Mississippi Conservatives PAC is the subject of multiple FEC complaints regarding a $250,000.00 illegal contribution in the form of a “loan” from Trustmark Bank and the refusal to disclose the owner of the certificate of deposit that allegedly serves as the loan’s collateral. The FEC currently has the matter under investigation.
These race-baiting robo-calls, race-baiting radio ads, race-baiting fliers, allegations of blatant violations of Mississippi election law, improper financialtransactions, and old-fashioned “walking around money,” all paid for by the Super PAC directed by Mississippi Republican National Committeeman Henry Barbour, amount to nothing less than the character assassination of Sen. McDaniel and his supporters. It cannot be tolerated.
This is not how Republicans should run primary campaigns against other Republicans.
The Republican National Committee, as the national infrastructure of the GOP, has a responsibility to police its own. If you do not take the minimum steps necessary to investigate these dishonest activities, disavow this conduct and issue a formal censure or take other disciplinary action against those persons responsible, we will be left to conclude that you support the disregarding of RNC rules and the race-baiting smears directed at Sen. McDaniel and his supporters.
And we will act accordingly.
Sincerely,
Ms. Jenny Beth Martin Mr. Richard Viguerie
Chairman, Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
Mr. Colin Hanna Mr. Tony Perkins
President, Let Freedom Ring Chairman, FRC Action PAC
Mr. L. Brent Bozell, III Mr. Matt Kibbe
Chairman, ForAmerica President, FreedomWorks
Mr. Ken Blackwell Mr. Drew Ryun
Chairman, SOS4SOS PAC Former Director of Grassroots,
Former Ohio Secretary of State Republican National Committee
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