IndependentPoliticalReport.com reports that former Libertarian National Committee members have urged the LNC to take more vigorous action with respect to former National Chair Angela McArdle.
McArdle resigned in January, claiming that she had a new opportunity that would be incompatible with her remaining as National Chair.
Former LNC Chair Nicholas Sarwark has now unveiled an open letter to the LNC. The letter was reportedly signed by more than 30 former LNC members. The list of signers is not yet public. The letter calls on the LNC to settle two derivative suits against it, and to pursue legal action against McArdle. This newspaper is not expressing an opinion as to the validity of the suits or the merits of the call for legal action.
The letter notes major declines in membership, donors, and candidate counts following McArdle’s ascension to the National Chair position. The signers claim that investigations and legal filings reveal “shocking self-dealing and violations of fiduciary duties,” including apparent embezzlement and diverting Party resources toward other organizations.
The letter notes two ongoing derivative suits against the LNC, brought by then-current LNC members under D.C. law. The letter points out that the LNC has defended itself against the suits rather than settling. The letter proposes that the suits and LNC actions have undermined the trust of party members and donors in the LNC, and proposes that the LNC needs to settle the suits and pursue direct legal action against Angela McArdle in order to restore membership trust in the LNC.
The full text of the open letter follows:
Open Letter to the Libertarian National Committee
April 20, 2025
Dear Members of the Libertarian National Committee,
Every person signing this letter has previously served on the Libertarian National Committee at some point during the last fifty-four years of Libertarian Party History. We know what the role means and what it demands of the people who fill it.
The Libertarian Party has had some bad years lately. They got worse in 2022 when Angela McArdle took over as Chair of the Libertarian National Committee, resulting in diminished performance on all fronts: fewer members, fewer donors, and fewer candidates for public office.
Evidence produced by independent investigations and discovery in derivative lawsuits brought by members of the Libertarian National Committee have revealed shocking self-dealing and violations of fiduciary duties by Angela McArdle.
Under increasing pressure due to her overt support for Donald Trump and MAGA and apparent embezzlement of party funds through the use of a Delaware shell corporation, Angela McArdle resigned as Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. You, the members of the committee, chose Stephen Nekhaila of Florida to replace McArdle in the role of Chair.
This was a good first step toward putting right what McArdle had set wrong, but there needs to be further action taken to restore trust in the membership.
Beth Vest was the first LNC member to bring a derivative suit setting forth Angela McArdle’s violations of her duties under District of Columbia nonprofit law. Caryn Ann Harlos later brought a second derivative suit alleging further violations by McArdle that took place after the 2024 Libertarian National Convention. Both of these lawsuits had to be brought as derivative actions because a majority of LNC members chose to defend Angela McArdle’s behavior instead of holding her accountable.
In retrospect, defending Angela McArdle has proven to be a mistake.
When you make a mistake, it is good to correct it. And the way the Libertarian National Committee can correct that mistake is to settle the existing derivative suit in a way that puts the Libertarian National Committee in the driver’s seat to hold Angela McArdle legally accountable for diverting funds into her own household and diverting resources away from the Libertarian Party toward other organizations.
The best time for the LNC to act to show donors, members, and candidates that you take the duty of oversight seriously would have been when the allegations were first brought to the LNC by Beth Vest. The second best time for the LNC to act is now.
All of the undersigned former LNC members would vote to settle the derivative lawsuits and pursue direct legal action including discovery and restitution against Angela McArdle.
We urge you to do the right thing for the future of the Libertarian Party at this critical time in American history, so the party can move forward with integrity and accountability.
Yours in liberty,
[Signatories]
This letter should have copies placed at every delegate seat in Grand Rapids, right alongside Porter’s receipts, since McArgh is declared to be running for Chair again and shouldn’t be allowed with 100 miles of the LNC.
I’m willing to sign the letter. Nick, is there some page I should go to, or can you just add my name to it?
Daniel Wiener, 2010 – 2016
Thank you Dan, I have added your name and years of service to the open letter.
At this point, there are over 40 former LNC members who have signed the open letter to the LNC. It remains to be seen if there will be a public response.
Although I haven’t read the lawsuits, winning seems an uphill climb. CEOs and boards of directors of corporations, nonprofits, and political parties etc. are allowed to exercise judgment in ways that some people might see as mistaken in retrospect. They’re even allowed to make mistakes.
Can registered Democrats sue the DNC because Harris lost?
Will people argue that McArdle violated some “fiduciary duty” because she failed to adhere to “libertarian principles”? I’ve heard that accusation.
Yet a judge will likely find that “libertarian principles” is a vague term, open to interpretation. That the delegates empowered McArdle and the LNC to interpret those principles. And if later delegates disagree, they can elect a new LNC.
The actual suits are over quite different issues.
Looking at the diversity of that list, as well as the severity of the problems that the party experienced under the most recent chair, my guess is that if they had been able to find time to ask every living former member of the LNC, all but a very small handful would have signed.
Of the former LNC members who I shared the letter with, the vast majority chose to sign.
If you would like to add your name, the Google Doc is public and accepts comments from those who wish to add their name. Two new signers were added just this morning.
Nick,
If you think it would be constructive, I would like to add my name to the open letter. I am okay either way. I think McArdle should be held accountable, and an attempt should be made to rebuild a constructive political auxiliary. You know my views on what I think it would take to successfully accomplish that initiative.
Thoughts?
David Pratt Demarest 402-493-0873
David, happy to add your name.
Which years did you serve on the LNC?
The list of signatories is public. See
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RE3ceMq0QQyQ_dZI73cod0ZFkfXtT4gOcX3N74YudQw/mobilebasic
I’m confused about this. Now that McArdle’s gone, what’s the point of the derivative suits? I thought that the end goal of them was to get her out of the chair.
The suits have other objectives.
If I were still a member of the Libertarian Party, as a former member of the LNC, I would have certainly joined in signing this.
I understand the Open Letter is still open to former LNC members.