HOUGHTON LAKE, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Disputed Michigan GOP Chair Kristina Karamo emerged triumphant in the party’s special meeting on Saturday, retaining her position as the leader of the state’s “original” Republican Party. After the meeting, Acting Chair of the newly created Michigan Republican Party, Malinda Pego, sent out a statement about the events that took place during the meeting, calling the meeting illegitimate and “nothing more than a campaign rally.”

Karamo stays, seven others voted out.

 In addition to the state committee members at Saturday’s meeting voting to keep Karamo on as their leader by a 59-1 margin, they also voted to oust Pego as the Co-Chair. Her presence has already been scrubbed from the website.

MORE NEWS: Is Whitmer the New Curse of the Detroit Lions? ‘This Video Killed the Lions Season’

While cleaning house, they added to the list six other party members that got booted out of the MIGOP. They were the State Committee Members who were involved in forming the competing Michigan Republican Party with Pego at the helm.

After the meeting, the Karamo administration posted on the social media platform X that they were able to vote out Pego with 95% of present members voting yes. And with 75% of present members voting yes, they also got rid of Bree Moeggenberg, Anne DeLisle, JD Glaser, Tim Ross, Dan Lawless and Andy Sebolt. Pego and the six members of the MIGOP voted out of office will also be banned from being affiliated with the Michigan Republican Party for five years.

Karamo and supporters clean house and look to move on.

The vote on getting rid of the six members had been added to the end of the day’s agenda and there was discussion about postponing the vote until the Policy Committee could have a say in the matter. However, a member in the audience said, “let’s clean up the house” and a motion was made to do just that.

The X post by the MIGOP after the meeting said, “Today is somber, and we pray not to have many more like these in the future. However, the bylaws process and rules were followed to hold these individuals accountable for their actions.”

Malinda Pego responds to “illegitimate” meeting.

In response to the actions of Karamo and others at the weekend meeting, Pego sent out a statement on Saturday night that said the “illegitimate meeting has no impact on official party business. Appropriate actions will be taken.”

Pego said, “In spite of numerous notices and against the wishes of the Michigan Republican Party State Committee, we have been informed that former-Chair (Karamo) has chosen to gather with a fringe group of supporters in Houghton Lake this morning.”

Pego continued, “On January 6th, the Michigan Republican Party State Committee met and voted to remove Kristina Karamo as Chair and cancel the previously scheduled January 13th meeting. Thus, this gathering with the former chair is not a legitimate meeting, it is nothing more than a campaign rally.”

MORE NEWS: Lions OC Headed to Chicago as Head Coach

Pego went on to say, “We have also been informed that the former Chair, through the apparent wrongful use of proxies, ex-officio members as well as personal supporters have allegedly removed several State Committee members, District Chairs and the Co-Chair (Acting Chair).”

Each side claims the other is invalid and not following bylaws.

Pego added, “These illegitimate votes hold no merit. Claims to official party business conducted at the former Chair’s gathering today shall not be recognized. There has been an official meeting requested and called for Saturday January 20th for the election of the new Chair.”

Pego ended her statement by saying, “It is unfortunate there are those working to undermine our Party that have continued to cause confusion and spread misinformation. Regardless of the political rhetoric that comes out of today’s gathering with the former Chair, the Michigan Republican Party is moving forward and onto victory in 2024. Today’s illegitimate actions and impersonations will be dealt with swiftly and to the fullest extent.”

Ousted State Committee member speaks.

State Committee member, Bree Moeggenberg, who was watching the meeting on Zoom, told Michigan News Source about the meeting, “It is disheartening that so many Republicans have fallen into the belief of preconceived notions over truth. While the Kristina ‘meeting’ has no effect due to legitimacy, it is still a shame and an embarrassment.”

Moeggenberg continued, “It is disappointing that these Republicans call us the Party of the Constitution all while recklessly suspending bylaws and maliciously enforcing lawlessness unto others for exercising their rights and liberties; the reach of one faction for control and power. That is not becoming of a Republican. Moving forward, as a state committee woman I will continue to uphold my duties, speak truth with transparency and see to it that the business of the party is transacted on our party platform with goals to build unity, gain voters, donors and win elections.”

Karamo had said in a statement after the vote to keep her in power, “This is a happy day of remembrance because it represents a renewed unification of spirit and purpose within the Michigan Republican Party.” She added, “Now, we can focus on pooling resources to engage and energize Michiganders to join our party to help us win more elections throughout the state in 2024 and future elections.”

What went on at the meeting?

Because of inclement weather, many members of the party attended the meeting via Zoom. However, most of the meeting was marred by feedback problems and sporadic outages of the ongoing discussions. It was also difficult to know which members were speaking as the camera wasn’t focused on who was asking the questions or making comments.

In the beginning of the meeting, discussions were made about the validity of the anti-Karamo faction’s submitted signatures to the party to request their special meeting to remove Karamo from her position. Some at the meeting brought up that the signers didn’t have their party dues up to date. They also pointed out that some signers had recanted their signatures after-the-fact.

During the meeting, Karamo waived the signature requirements even though her administration said that the signatures were “valid.” Shortly after that, a motion was made to vote on whether to keep Karamo as the party’s Chair. The vote was taken by a voice roll call vote.

Anti-Karamo faction cites numerous violations at Saturday meeting.

The anti-Karamo faction is arguing that the meeting contained several violations of Roberts Rules of Order and the state party’s bylaws. Other complaints about the meeting include that proxies were used for people without their permission and that the committee members who were removed didn’t have any due process. They said that the Karamo administration did not name the exact nature of their “crimes” nor did they allow the members up for a vote to speak for themselves.

The anti-Karamo faction has also said that they will be filing a lawsuit about the whole matter soon, possibly this week.

Allegiances are split.

 Although Karamo called the whole matter “settled” in a video to Michigan GOP precinct delegates after the meeting, that is far from the truth as allegiances across the state are split. Her victory is overshadowed by a statement that was released on Saturday from nine of the party’s 13 Congressional District Chairs. They announced that they will continue to recognize last weekend’s vote to oust Karamo and General Counsel, Dan Hartman.

On the other side of the battle are several Republican County chapters who adopted resolutions affirming that they recognize Karamo as the Michigan GOP chair. Those counties include: Antrim, Charlevoix, Dickinson, Missaukee, Otsego and Ottawa.

How will this end?

This presents an issue that could end in even more chaos – which MIGOP will the counties be recognizing and which convention will they be going to?

Although the Republican National Party hasn’t taken a side in the squabble so far, they will have to at a certain point. Otherwise, they will end up with two state committees, two state conventions and two sets of delegates going to the party’s national convention.

With all of the infighting going on in the MIGOP, it’s unknown if they have the time or resources to fight the Democrats in this election cycle. Right now it looks like the Republican candidates in the state are on their own.