[UPDATED 09/01/15 11:15 AM to confirm the identity of the person behind the “rogue group” and to change relative date references]
On Monday morning The Bull Elephant passed along information circulated by former 10th District GOP Chairman Howie Lind about an event for Donald Trump to be held at Trump’s golf course in Sterling in October. In Lind’s email, he claimed to have been appointed the Trump campaign’s Virginia Chairman.
This event seemed fishy from the beginning, given that the organization apparently hosting the event was called “Friends of DT,” and was not the actual Trump campaign (Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.). But, Howie Lind has been around the block a few times, and has proven reliable over the years.
Nonetheless, we poked around a little. A source shared an email from Monday morning sent by Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, in which Lewandowski disclaimed any knowledge of the event or Howie Lind:
The Donald J. Trump for President, Inc campaign has no relationship what so ever with this individual.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER
Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.
Chuck Floyd (Fmr. GOP candidate MD-8)
Individuals involved with the planned event indicated that it was sanctioned by a campaign contact named Chuck Floyd, a Maryland resident who presented himself as the Trump campaign’s “Mid-Atlantic Coordinator.” Others close to the presidential race in Virginia indicated no knowledge of a campaign contact named Chuck Floyd. I’m going to surmise (unconfirmed at this time) Based on whois records for the friendsofdt.us website (H/T to reader Chuck Moss), it appears that this is the same Chuck Floyd who ran unsuccessfully for Congress from Maryland’s 8th District, losing to Democrat Rep. Chris Van Hollen.
Monday evening, we learned that the event in Loudoun County has been canceled. Further, the website front page of the “Friends of DT” organization website has been taken down as of publication of this post.
Sources close to the Trump campaign indicated to The Bull Elephant that Friends of DT is a “rogue group” with no affiliation at all to the Trump organization.
As of late Monday evening Mr. Lind maintains the event is still happening as scheduled, while Donald Scoggins, a Prince William Republican activist who identified himself as being “on Trump’s host committee arranging the October 16th affair,” has announced “that the 10/16/2015 event has been cancelled.”
Sounds like some folks got snookered by over-exuberant Trumpmania. #CrabgrassNotGrassroots
