Karen Hardin – Director AwakeOklahoma.com
The first one to plead his case seems right, until another comes and cross-examines him (Prov 18:17).
If you read the recent missive from “Chickasaw Warrior” it is one more instance of a little truth mixed with a lot of omissions or straight-out lies. This open letter is to all the truth seekers, and an opportunity to present facts which dispel the narrative that debunked bad actors continue to try to paint.
But first, let’s discuss the identity of the cowardly Chickasaw Warrior. The first emails released originated from an IP address which came from a computer at the Spencer Fane law firm—where Ferrate has been employed. Also, the email generator used originally to send the mass email tracked back to a phone number listed as Ferrate’s. So two sources linked the CW emails to Ferratte. You can decide for yourself what that means. The “et al” of Cherokee Maiden, Seminole Chief or whoever else the many initials stand for (and do we care?) for the other writers on that secretive team, well we will save those revelations for another day.
Let’s move on…
Proxies
CW seemed very upset that Chairman Linch sent State GOP Executive Director, Sarah Burnett as her proxy to the RNC Summer Meeting last week. Thank you CW for opening the door to delve into the issue of proxies.
For those relatively new to the grassroots movement, you may not know that we voted out using proxies at the 2023 State Convention. You also may not know where former State GOP Chair/National Committeewoman Pam Pollard got the nickname “Proxy Pam.” It was in the election of Ferrate. Pam was a busy girl in that election working to ensure Ferrate was elected.
An investigation after that election revealed disturbing issues from the May 2022 State Committee Meeting Special Election:
- 21 more votes were cast than the number presented per the credentials report given to the State Committee.
- 24 proxy forms should have been thrown out as they either reflected different dates, the proxy form designation appeared to have been whited out and written over, the proxy form identification area was altered, and custom information entered, along with other issues which should have invalidated the forms.
- 39 proxy votes were found to be manufactured where Individuals held ballots for other members with no record of their proxy. Some on the credentials team and state committee members witnessed multiple instances of proxies being filled out at the check-in table. Multiple then state committee members held ineligible proxies including: Bob Jack with FIVE and acting chair of that convention, Shane Jemison, with two among others. One of the state committee members witnessed Pollard printing proxy forms on site and overheard her report to Governor Stitt not to worry, they had the votes for Ferrate to be elected.
Those issues above are just some of the irregularities from proxies in that election. So now you know the reason proxies were voted out and how Pam got her nickname.
Proxies in and of themselves are not bad. But when bad actors manipulate them and/or a credential’s team accepts ones which should be invalidated per the rules, therein lies the problem. To protect our elections in Oklahoma under administrations in which trust was non-existent proxies were removed.
The fact that Chairman Linch sent State GOP Executive Director, Sarah Burnett as her proxy was not a contradiction, but a smart move. Linch followed the rules and submitted all the necessary paperwork for a valid proxy so we wouldn’t lose a vote at the RNC Summer Meeting as opposed to the 2022 Oklahoma State Committee proxy debacle above.
ELECTION OF THE NEW RNC CHAIR
CW declared that National Committeeman Larry Murray, Sarah Burnett (who went as Charity Linch’s proxy) and myself are all “establishment” because we voted for the new RNC Chair. What he failed to reveal is there was no other candidate running. There was no other choice. Joe Gruters was the only candidate who ran. It was a decided election before the meeting ever began.
But that leads to another question. Where could CW have received such specific information about what happened at the RNC Summer meeting last week? He wasn’t there. Oh, yes that leads to another issue. It was most likely from Proxy Pam Pollard. Remember, Pam lost her position as OK National Committeewoman to Linch at the 2024 State Convention election when she was resoundingly removed after receiving a mere 30% of the vote. The Oklahoma GOP stated loudly we didn’t want Pam representing us any longer at the RNC. But evidently, she wasn’t willing to give up her seat at the table and positioned herself to be able to attend the meetings last week through the National Federation of Women. It was just one more example of how many of the establishment former leaders, voted out of positions, are desperately working to create positions for themselves to appear relevant. You would think their election losses would tell them something, but apparently not.
FEC FINES AND FUNDRAISING
Let’s move on to the next issue from CW, which is that pesky FEC fine incurred under the watch of the Pam Pollard and David McLain administrations. You may remember where CW attempted to place complete blame for that fine on David McLain’s shoulders. But despite those claims, facts prove that the fine and issues started under Pollard. That massive FEC fine incurred was negotiated down to $173,000 and how ironic that the first payment was deferred until Linch took office. Oh, and did we mention that neither former Chairman Dahm, or anyone in his administration, bothered to tell Linch on their way out that a payment was due immediately and if missed would revert the fine back to the original full amount of $271,000 and due immediately? That was apparently their “burn it down” plan.
In fact, Stan Stevens (Dahm’s OK GOP Executive Director) and John Elliott (Dahm’s Financial Director) actually told Charity and they didn’t know when the payment would start. Naughty, naughty.
But thankfully, Stan’s wife was overheard laughing about how the payment was coming up and how Linch would miss it because she didn’t know about it.
So glad she had a big mouth, as it alerted Linch to research and discover the first payment of $7,000+ was due less than 30 days after she took office.
Linch and team immediately started fundraising to fill the empty coffers left to them from the Dahm administration. The July Boots and Bling event, which CW disparaged, raised $24,000 after expenses. Of that amount a little over $7000 went to the Pollard/McLain FEC fine and $17,000 went to an additional fine due the end of July, levied after those two former administrations couldn’t prove some funds they had accepted were legal. So we got stuck with that fine as well—and paid it off!
So, CW was correct that a lot of money came into the OK GOP account and immediately went back out. He just omitted the important fact that it all went to pay for the fines from the sins of those before us.
Now we could also talk about money used from the state GOP account from previous administrations that went to purses, expensive trips, Air BNB’s, payments directed to past chairs AFTER they left office, or to some of their friends. But I will leave that for another time.
Let’s just conclude that segment with the scripture from Luke 8:17. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. More will be coming out.
From their last email, CW also seems pretty worked up about the fact that Linch gave voice to the many Republican clubs which could be operating without approval. He specifically brought up the Tulsa Republican Club. Remember they are the group using the former Tulsa County GOP website they refused to turn over and accidentally (or not) left the Tulsa County GOP logo on the website after they renamed it the Tulsa Republican Club? Or how Gov Stitt got tricked into speaking at their first meeting? Or that they named Charity Marcus as the president after she lost her bid to run the Tulsa County GOP in a resounding defeat to Melissa Myers? Or how they rewrote the history of the club—as if that made it real?
But we do understand that there are still some pretty raw feelings on their part with those huge election defeats of Pollard, Stan Stevens, Charity Marcus and those who ran with Marcus for the Tulsa County GOP. Some received less than 20% of the vote! Pretty embarrassing.
Again, you would think they could read the room that their brand of politics, lack of transparency, and refusal to follow the rules just isn’t going to fly with the true grassroots now firmly in the majority, but evidently not. Like the Democrats, some never learn and simply double down.
So who is getting painted into a corner? That would be those working hard to see the State GOP fail. Their rage is understandable. They couldn’t succeed, and we are. They wanted to see it burn down, but we are ensuring it is being rebuilt.
It hasn’t been easy as they left a lot of baggage. But hats off to Chairman Linch, the State GOP leadership, and many helping—of which NONE are taking a salary.
So let CW and their few remaining supporters rage. Transparency and accountability are winning.
