Ada County GOP Hears Contentious Financial Review, Adopts Three Motions Based on the Results
By Sarah Clendenon • February 4, 2024At their regular monthly meeting last week, the Ada County Republican Central Commitee (ACRCC) executive board and precinct committeemen were able to view and hear explanation on the financial review that was completed by an internal Financial Review Committee. The review was initiated in response to a complaint filed to the state Republican Party by members of ACRCC, and automatically triggered in October 2023 when the previous ACRCC Chairman Victor Miller and Treasurer Dave Litster resigned.
David with the Idaho Dispatch was there to livestream and record the meeting. You can find the entire video on our Rumble channel here. The meeting was stopped by members three different times to attempt to conceal the information contained in the financial review. The first was at the 47:10 time stamp of our recording. Precinct Committeeman Holly Cook asked for a rule change, but was told by Chairman Thad Butterworth that rule changes to affect all meetings could only be considered during the ‘New Business’ time on the agenda. Immediately after, Mark Johnson, District 20 Chair, made a motion for the executive committee to go into executive session to examine the financial review ahead of the rest of the central committee. The motion overwhelmingly failed.
A few minutes later, at about the 57:15 time stamp, Cook put forth another motion for a rule change, effective immediately, which would cease the allowance of cameras and broadcasting in the committee meeting. Matthew Jensen objected to the motion. A vote was taken, and Cook’s motion failed.
When the committee had disposed of all the motions relating to the broadcasting of the meeting, the report on the financial review was delivered by District 23 Chair, Brian Merrell.
From the press release sent out on Friday, the ACRCC summarized the presentation.
“The report contains 46 findings, many of which were due to a lack of internal controls and a failure to abide by the ACRCC’s bylaws and fiscal policies and procedures. Among these findings were missing documents and assets, improperly paid taxes, QuickBooks entry errors, untimely deposits, and a failure to seek competing bids for expenses in excess of $1,000.
AdvertisementThe report also contained 27 recommendations including strengthening the ACRCC’s fiscal policies and procedures and working with the FEC, Idaho Secretary of State, and Idaho Sales Tax Commission to correct errors and omissions.”
The press release goes on to explain the three motions adopted by the committee to address the financial review findings.
ACRCC press release Feb 2 2024“…one [motion] directing the committee treasurer “to file an inquiry with the Federal Elections Commission to request help in correcting the record of the reports and amendments filed by [former] Treasurer David Litster between June 2023 and October 2023.”
AdvertisementAnother motion called for creating a subcommittee to investigate unorthodox donor refunds and determine who solicited certain donors to request these refunds.
The third motion called for the formation of an investigative committee “to look into the matter of the FCC ruling relative to the Red Wave Radio show hosted by former State Republican Party Chairman Tom Luna and former Ada County Republican Central Committee Chairman Victor Miller to ensure that the Ada County Republican Central Committee has no exposure from this decision and to recommend potential courses of legal action if they determine that the Ada County Republican Central Committee is exposed.”
You may recall the Idaho Dispatch broke the story in the summer of 2023 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation into the reporting issues concerning Red Wave Radio, Victor Miller, and Tom Luna. Our articles relating to it can be found here, here, and here. Ultimately there were violations of federal law found, and two Idaho radio stations were fined by the FCC. It remains to be seen whether state-level campaign finance reporting errors or omissions occurred in regard to Red Wave Radio, Miller, and Luna.
Tags: ACRCC, Ada County GOP, Brian Merrell, Dave Litster, David Litster, Dorothy Moon, FCC, FEC, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Election Commission, Financial Review, Holly Cook, Idaho GOP, Mark Johnson, Matthew Jensen, Red Wave Radio, Thad Butterworth, Tom Luna, Victor Miller
7 thoughts on “Ada County GOP Hears Contentious Financial Review, Adopts Three Motions Based on the Results”
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Good, time to hold those traitors accountable for their sellout of the party they claimed to represent. Establishment Republicans need to be removed from all levers of power and this should also includes those in current state leadership.
More corruption is very disheartening and at an alarming level. The infiltration of the Democrats into the conservative way of life is way deeper than I thought.
Thank you Idaho Dispatch for your honorable reporting.
Sounds like Holly Cook and Mark Johnson are trying to give cover to their RINO buddies and hide truths. We need some Kootenai County KCRCC members show them how to clean house.
The Idaho GOP / RNC is a JOKE. A cabal of LEFTIST progressives who have sold out the soul of the conservative movement and conservatism in Idaho.
So, let me get this straight. The Ada County Central Committee, made up of primarily far right, “the less government, the better”, Republicans, now want to ask for the assistance of the Biden Administration’s Federal Elections Committee, for help in matters that should rightly be decided on in our local organization. Why? Oh yes, for revenge, retribution, whatever you want to call it. What a joke!
Competitive bidding for expenses over $1,000? Another joke. These folks have no idea of the competitive bidding process or the time and expense that goes along with it.