UPDATE: 10 charges form basis for GOP chairman ouster vote

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: March 13, 2009

By BOB LEWIS

AP Political Writer

Allegations over state Republican chairman Jeff Frederick’s stewardship of party finances dominate 10 claims at the heart of an effort to oust him.

The first claim in the complaint obtained by The Associated Press alleges that Frederick’s own company processed online donations to the Republican Party of Virginia and, for several weeks, retained 7 percent of the money while he assured members of the party executive committee that his firm was not a party vendor.

The second charge is related, alleging he did not fully comply with an executive committee directive last fall to disclose all of the state party’s pending and existing contracts with vendors.

In a statement by the party today, Frederick called those and other charges “false and without merit.” He declined to comment on the individual allegations.

“It is disappointing that some have chosen to eschew discretion and make an internal Party matter an issue for public consumption,” wrote Frederick, 33, who was elected party chief in May and has been under fire from party leaders for the past three months.

Frederick faces a vote by the party’s central committee to remove him on April 4.

Among those who have called in writing for his dismissal in the past week are 58 of the 77 members of the central committee who vote on the matter, all six members of the state Senate’s GOP leadership, and Bob McDonnell, who is unchallenged as the Republican nominee for governor this fall.

Other charges claim that Frederick:

—Spent party money for unbudgeted purposes without consent from either the central committee or the executive committee;

—Gave central committee members little or no time to review the proposed 2009 budget in December, failed to complete either a show-of-hands or roll-call vote by the committee on the budget, then declared it passed without a complete vote count.

—Damaged the party in last fall’s elections by refusing to “coordinate activities, including campaign messages, with Republican nominees for public office.” Democrats won three GOP House seats, the second of Virginia’s two Senate seats, and carried the state in a presidential race for the first time in 44 years.

—Failed to tell the executive committee of a possible security breach of party data on computer servers and not promptly investigating the matter after he was asked to.

Frederick last week dismissed the actions against him as a power play by the party’s elite, claimed strong backing from members and pledged to finish his four-year term in 2012. Last month, he announced he would not seek a fourth term to his House of Delegates seat from Prince William to focus full-time on the party post.

In today’s statement, Frederick said he will respond in writing soon to the 10 charges.

“I will continue to work against the efforts of a few to overturn the verdict of the thousands of grass roots volunteers and activists who participated in the 2008 Virginia Republican Convention,” he wrote.

To remove Frederick, three-fourths of the central committee members attending the April 4 meeting will have to vote for it. If all 77 members are present, a minimum of 58 must vote for his removal.