Howie Lind’s Response to the 10th District’s Refusal to Hear his Appeal

As we reported previously Chairman of the 10th District Republican Committee Jo Thoburn said the 10th District Committee will not hear Lind’s appeal to remove Beau Correll’s credentials as a delegate to the national convention. Howie Lind responded to Jo Thoburn in a letter today:

Dear Friend

This is an update to the controversy surrounding Beau Correll, the Delegate to the Republican National Convention who has publicly stated that he is supportive of a 3rd party candidate for President. We, in fact, have additional evidence that he is in favor of a third party candidate in this year’s Presidential election.

Unfortunately, the Appeal to the 10th District Committee that I submitted last week to remove Beau Correll for this infraction is NOT set be heard prior to the GOP Convention. Even though the 10th District Committee will be meeting this coming Monday, July 11, Chairman Jo Thoburn purposefully refused to allow this Appeal from being heard at this meeting by fiat despite the Party Plan requiring Appeals to be heard. She is shielding Beau Correll from this Appeal that asks the Committee to withdraw his certification as a Delegate to the National Convention.

Chairman Thoburn referred to this Appeal as “specious”. My reading of the word “specious” is “superficially plausible, but actually wrong.” Moreover, using the word “specious” implies a controversy, and that is precisely the point of the appeals process to hear charges, weigh the evidence, and draw a conclusion by the Committee as a whole.

This is not a legal matter. It is a political matter to be decided upon by the elected members on the 10th District Committee who were elected to represent Republican voters in the 10th Congressional District. Chairman Thoburn made a unilateral decision to not allow this Appeal to be heard and thereby is preventing the 10th District Committee members the opportunity to openly review and discuss this matter. By circumventing the party plan requirements (again) to hear appeals, she has exceeded her authority as the Chairman and rendered the 10th District Committee dysfunctional.

Threats of 3rd Party actions are serious and subversive to the mission of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Removing members from the Republican Party of Virginia for not supporting the party’s nominee is the normal course of business that must be allowed to continue. As I stated in a previous email, then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and then-Lt. Gov Bill Bolling were removed from the Party for doing the same thing in 2011.

This Appeal could and should be heard at the 10th District Committee meeting which will be held this coming Monday, July 11, at the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., SE Leesburg, VA (Lovettesville Room), starting at 6:00pm.

Please contact Chairman Thoburn at chairman@vagop10.org to request that this Appeal be heard on Monday.

Thank you.

Howie