The LNC had debate, reported below, on their public list prior to the July 11 ExComm meeting. Note the Chair announcing the Joint Fundraising Agreement proposal and the Secretary saying that the agreement was a Bylaws violation. As it happened, the Secretary refused to attend the ExComm executive session. Mark Rutherford is on vacation and did not attend. We have on good authority that McArdle had not discussed the Fundraising Agreement with other LNC members prior to proposing it.
The business list generates a hash of highly repetitive metadata with each message. That metadata has here been filtered down to a list of core recipients. There is an occasional “to:” to what appears to be an encrypted email address; that was filtered out. These messages are complete; a few capitalization miscues have been fixed to protect the dignity of the senders.
And now the discussion:
————————-
From: Angela McArdle
To: LP Secretary; LNC Business
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
We will not be closing public comment but we will shorten it.
For Thursday: Motion to authorize joint fundraising effort with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Angela McArdle
LNC Chair
———————————
From: LP Secretary
To: LNC Business <lnc-bu…@lp.org>;
Subject: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTER
TOPIC: Colorado Legal Issues
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jul 11, 2024 09:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos
LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair
——————————-
From: LP Secretary
To: LNC Business
Subject: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
Outlook not hitting reply all
I have a work meeting at 10:15pm so I will be moving to immediately go into ExSession and no public comment. We had extensive public comment on Sunday.
———————————–
From: Angela McArdle
To: LP Secretary; LNC Business
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
We will not be closing public comment but we will shorten it.
For Thursday: Motion to authorize joint fundraising effort with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Angela McArdle
LNC Chair
—————————————-
From: LP Secretary <secr…@lp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2024 3:55:02 AM (UTC+00:00) Monrovia, Reykjavik
To: Angela McArdle; LNC Business
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTER
The ExComm does not have the authority to authorize joint fundraising efforts as it is not urgent/or within its scope. That would require a full LNC vote, you can uniliaterally call a full LNC meeting for five days hence.
————————————
From: Angela McArdle
To: LP Secretary; LNC Business
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTER
It is time sensitive and the motion stands. We can discuss it further at the meeting.
Angela McArdle
LNC Chair
———————————–
From: LP Secretary
to LNC Business List (Public) Google Group
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
Hard disagree. You can call an LNC meeting in 5 days. Of course I get that’s how you are ruling and if it passes ExComm I’ll attempt to get sponsors and make it a full LNC vote.
I had the sponsors for Wed. You asked for Thurs and I agreed out of courtesy despite having the sponsors.
Then you learn I simply can’t stay more than 1 hour and 15 minutes with one important matter and another thing you know is controversial is shoved in and you make sure it’s rushed through by unilaterally claiming we will have public comment when that’s mere custom. I’m sure you have the votes. Fine. But that’s not right.
Rush something through. I’ll do what I need to. Win some, lose some. But selling out our Party to RFK Jr. is not something I’m going to stand idly for. I’ll obviously obey the rules and do my duty but that’s not right. And I’ll never concede out of courtesy a day I have sponsors for again being done dirty like this.
You’re the chair. You can do that. And as I said to Nick Sarwark, I sadly say now, you know I’m going to oppose you on this.
And you’ll say Ms. Harlos, you are going to do whatever it is you think you need to do.
—————————————–
From: Angela McArdle (to LNC Secretary Harlos)
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
We are at Freedom Fest trying to fundraise and do work. This week is not convenient for any meeting and you know that. You didn’t run any of this by me. A time sensitive fundraising need and opportunity have arisen so we will meet and do what needs to be done.
You will not usurp my authority as chair. You have taken unilateral actions this week that have put us at risk of legal action. To be clear, you acted outside the scope of your authority when you sent that form to the SOS, knowing that LPCO had entered into a written agreement with Kennedy. Now you want to rope us in and have us sanction your actions and possibly take legal action or involve us if you are sued for it.
I want to make it abundantly clear you had no authority to do so and I did not know about it. We are not getting pulled into a lawsuit on your behalf.
I’ve also learned that you have personally threatened to sue LPCO and sent a demand letter, so you have a serious conflict of interest here and should not even be voting on any legal action from this board.
———————————————
From: LP Secretary
To: Angela McArdle; LNC Business; businesslist-forward
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
None of what I suggested is a legal action- I left the subject vague, it’s actually quite mundane. And I was fully within my authority to file nomination paperwork. By who’s authority? The delegates in convention. And what I do in Colorado as a Colorado member is my business.
What I said above stands.
And I had every right to turn in SoS paperwork.
Why do you care if LPCO entered into a bylaws violating written agreement? And no I didn’t actually know that. How do you? If you mean the “liberty pledge” that’s not any formal enforceable agreement. Is there some other agreement? If so, I don’t know about it.
Abd asserting my opinion is not “usurping your authority.” I will continue to do so.
As I said, you will do what you wish. And I will bring the vote to the full LNC. That is my right. You likely have the votes. And I will maintain my opinion this is selling out the Party to RFK Jr. again, win some, lose some.
————————————-
From: LP Secretary
To: Angela McArdle; LNC Business
Subject: Re: NOTICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING 7/11/24 AT 9PM EASTERN
And btw, I’ll send a copy of the “legal letter” to any LNC member who asks for it. In it I never personally threaten suit. The letter is a request inspect corporate documents, including the member list. In doing a request to review corporate documents, you have to give a rational basis. The basis given was for MEMBERS (not me personally) to decide if there is as grounds a breach of contract or derivative action suit. I wrote the letter as I know how. Members here want to know their rights and what this deal entails. I will show any of you.
None of it involves the national party except to the extent it knew about this deal. Perhaps others on the LNC don’t have a problem with that IF that is the case. I would. I knew nothing. I learned when the rest of Colorado did.
And frankly it’s ludicrous for the Chair to insinuate that filing nomination paperwork for our duly elected Presidential Ticket is somehow inappropriate or “exposes us to a lawsuit.” I did my job. And it is our responsibility to file the paperwork for the states we know won’t.
That’s our job under the bylaws. I fulfilled my fiduciary duty.
We do not kowtow to illegitimate back room deals with RFK Jr. I will gladly defend my actions in filling the paperwork every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
If we do some joint fundraising deal with RFK Jr it is violating our bylaws which is to give full support to our candidates and to operate as a political party separate and distinct from all other parties and movements.
Go read about the mess RFK Jr caused in Florida with the Natural Law Party.
This whole thing is absolutely surreal.
I withdraw my agenda item. It was not about some suit. It barely met the threshold of “legal” in that Oliver would be barely needed. I will put forth the details in a confidential thread and ask for sponsors on an email thread referring the confidential thread without details. I want full time to discuss this issue and be able to register my no vote.
