Minnesota GOP President resigns with severance pay over reports of harassment and abuse

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The party’s executive committee on Thursday, August 19, in an 8-7 vote, awarded Carnahan three months severance pay, with Carnahan herself being the deciding vote. State GOP Central Committee deputy Sheri Auclair told reporters the package was worth around $ 38,150.

Auclair, who organized a small rally in support of Carnahan’s impeachment, choked when she told reporters Thursday night she was “disgusted, absolutely disgusted” by the committee’s decision and Carnahan’s decisive vote . She described the State Party as “in ruins”.

“It’s the only way for her to go away, it’s for money,” Auclair said. “You’re not telling me that she cares about the party and where we’re going and the future of the party. She only cares about herself and the money in her pocket.”

The vote comes a week after former GOP donor and activist Anton Tony Lazzaro, a friend of Carnahans, was charged with federal sex trafficking charges. In the days that followed, GOP staff members, lawmakers and state activists made public allegations of a toxic culture within the political party and unresolved reports of sexual assault and harassment. , even outside of Lazzaro’s alleged behavior.

Minutes after the separation vote, the party’s official Twitter account shared Carnahan’s resignation statement.

“Our party faced difficult circumstances last week with the indictment of one of our party’s major donors for heinous acts of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice,” Carnahan wrote. “I want to be very clear in stating unequivocally that I had no knowledge or involvement in these activities.

“However, I signed up for this party to help us elect Republicans and I want to make sure we can continue to do so. At this point, it is in the best interests of the party and my sanity to step down. of my position as president. “

Despite their friendship, Carnahan has denied allegations of irregularity within the party and said she was unaware of what Lazzaro was doing in her private life.

The charges go beyond Lazzaro’s indictment, however. Bobby Benson, who represents the 6th Congressional District on the executive committee, said that once Lazzaro’s indictment was revealed, “he opened the door. Other people felt at the same time. comfortable and had the courage to come forward and share many stories “.

Among them were several young women who brought charges of sexual harassment by donors, volunteers or party employees during Carnahan’s tenure as president. Nia Moore, president of the Republicans at Minnesota College, tweeted several cases of sexual harassment she suffered and described being fired when she spoke about the bad behavior to other party members.

“… I don’t see any young conservative women feeling safe walking into our political party with (Carnahan) at the helm,” Moore wrote.

In addition to voting on Carnahan’s severance pay, committee members voted Thursday for an independent third party to investigate the allegations of sexual harassment, as well as an audit of the party’s finances. The party will also review and update its human resources policies, which Benson says have failed.

Benson told reporters after the committee adjourned that he was one of seven members who “didn’t vote to give anyone extra money.” When asked what he had to say to the GOP donors whose money is intended for Carnahan’s severance pay, he replied, “I’m just as disappointed as they are. More disappointed.”

But Sara Rasque-Michener, who represents Congressional 4th District on the executive committee, said the vote was more complicated than that. She was one of eight to vote in favor of severance pay.

In the end, she said the committee traded it at around $ 38,000, down from Carnahan’s request of $ 96,000.

“In all honesty, it just had to be done,” said Rasque-Michener. “If we hadn’t done so, she wouldn’t have quit.”

While Carnahan had not voluntarily resigned, Rasque-Michener said she was confident the executive committee had more than two-thirds (10 out of 15) needed to remove her.

But the executive committee does not have the last word. After a vote by the executive committee, the state’s central committee, which has more than 300 members, should then have met in 13 days to vote on the issue. And this vote would only have required a simple majority for or against Carnahan.

Rasque-Michener said she had imagined in her head how, had it not been for Carnahan’s resignation that evening, she could have won the votes to remain president.

“It’s so controversial. People were like, ‘Don’t give him anything,'” Rasque-Michener said. “I’m just sitting there like, ‘Yeah, but I don’t want to have to go for another 13 days. Because if they don’t approve our vote? Now she’s still president.”

In a series of public statements and media interviews, Carnahan called the attack on allegations against her a “coup” and accused party members of questioning her recent re-election to the House. party presidency earlier this year.

Carnahan co-hosted a podcast with Lazzaro, was photographed with him outside of the workplace, and Lazzaro was invited to Carnahan’s wedding with her husband and United States Republican Representative for Minnesota Jim Hagedorn.

FOLLOWING:

Former GOP executive director Andy Aplikowski released a statement Thursday noting that Carnahan was asked about Lazzaro in July and mandated Aplikowski to keep the investigation a secret. He also said he and other former executive directors were offered severance packages when they left office in exchange for a deal that they would not speak badly about the party.

In addition to Lazzaro, 19-year-old Gisela Castro Medina has also been charged in connection with the investigation.

My version of a politically armed separation agreement can be boiled down to the following: It included the following no-denigration clause in return for $ 10,000, Aplikowski said. We now know that there have been several separation agreements with large payments, but we do not know how much or for how much. This is donor money that could be used to help elect Republicans, but instead Carnahan used donor money to silence former Republican staff.

Aplikowski’s comments came a day after four former executive directors of the Minnesota Republican Party issued a joint statement highlighting their concerns about the toxic culture and harassment present under Carnahans’ tenure as president. They said a recent decision by the party’s board of directors waived their nondisclosure agreements and allowed them to share their experiences with each other and with the public for the first time.

Dana Ferguson contributed to this report.

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