Tennessee Republican Party Holds Closed Meeting to Choose Delegates – Trump Delegates Excluded
There is the possibility of a lawsuit here – see below.
I just came from a Tennessee Republican Party meeting where the public was excluded. I was not allowed in to cover it for New English Review. Last night I received an email from the Trump campaign which stated in part:
There is a small group of Tennessee establishment insiders pulling a fast one.
They want to appoint people who support Jeb Bush, John Kasich and others to represent the delegate slots that Donald Trump won on March 1 FAIR AND SQUARE!
Our Congressional delegates were on the ballot with Mr. Trump fortunately, so the state party couldn’t steal those delegates. BUT THEY ARE TRYING TO STEAL OUR REMAINING AT-LARGE DELEGATES.
As the winner of 57% of the delegates, our campaign worked professionally and fairly with the State Republican party to make sure TRUMP supporters were appropriately represented on the final seven delegates and seven alternates delegates to be voted on tomorrow, April 2.
The State Party Chairman, Ryan Haynes, agreed to that ON WEDNESDAY. Those pulling his puppet strings changed his mind and now apparently he wants to appoint delegates representing candidates who don’t support Donald Trump and WHO DID NOT RECEIVE ANY ALLOCATED DELEGATES on March 1.
Lou Ann Zelenik, who ran for Congress last term, and is a delegate for the 4th district for Trump, explained how the party is appointing delegates who are part of the #NeverTrump movement to be Trump delegates and who will vote against him at the first opportunity. Lou Ann finally was allowed in, but several other Trump delegates were not allowed entry..
Everyone I spoke to was furious because they feel their votes are being subverted by party insiders who care only for their own power and position.
Trump delegates and others were refused entry
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Picture of meeting through the window
Here is Politico and The Tennessean.
Lou Ann Zelenik writes:
At least two people on the establishment’s slate who would be assigned to serve as “Trump delegates” have trashed Trump on social media.
They are SEC members Melissa Gay and Ken Gross.
There are believed to be other “Trojan Horse” delegates who will try to be selected to represent Trump/Cruz, but who will instead vote with the party establishment on rules and credentials, etc. to hurt Cruz’ and Trump’s efforts at the convention.
Slimy.
Lou Ann Zelenik writes of the meeting:
The Fix is In.
Haynes and GOP establishment force through their slate.
Contains numerous phony delegates posing as Trump or Cruz supporters
By a 15-vote margin, the GOP State Executive Committee made a farce of the March 1st state presidential primary today. Ignoring the expressed preferences of hundreds of thousands of primary voters, they created a slate comprised mainly of “reliable” party hacks who — although committed by law to vote for the candidate they are assigned for two ballots — are nonetheless free to screw those very candidates on procedural votes which could dramatically affect the outcome.
Want to know why voters are so upset with the Republican party? Look no further than the 44 slimeballs who voted for themselves and their cronies while flipping off the voters and presidential candidates who actually earned their standing at the ballot box.
There will be hell to pay for this….
Lawsuits are being contemplated. The pertinent Tennessee statutes (with thanks to Rosine Ghawji):
TN Code Ann 2-19-113. Class A Misdemeanor.. Any title 2 board member who violates the title is guilty.. . TN Code Ann. 2-19-104. Class C Misdemeanor… Written or oral statements by Title 2 board members that they know not to be true; CLASS E FELONY TN Code Ann. 2-19-114 if “electors therof deprived of their suffrage at such election, or if such person intentionally does any act which renders such election void”. PRIVATE CITIZENS in ANY Tennessee County can seek out an indictment by the Grand jury of the county TN Code Ann. 40-12-104; And anybody who tries to stop someone from either attending a party executive committee meeting or who stops a person from unilaterally testifying to the Grand jury is committing false imprisonment, Both a common law tort actionable as a civil claim as well as a Class A Misdemeanor under TN Code Ann. 39-13-302… THIS IS HOW A GROUP OF CITIZENS ENFORCES ELECTION LAW IN TENNESSEE
Mark Clayton who wrote the statute synopsis above, also writes:
There are a couple more really important ones.
Tenn. Code Ann. 2-13-108(a)(2) is what incorporates Tenn. Code Ann. 8-44-101 et. seq. which in part makes any meeting not advertised prior or not open to the public to be void and of no effect unless the decision affects the public debt. Any person could file in Chancery or Trial courts anywhere in Tennessee and have the meeting today voided. Plus if anyone lost their elective franchise that person could press charges or seek an indictment through the Grand jury.