Kristina Karamo continues the fight for Michigan GOP leadership
(CBS DETROIT) - Kristina Karamo was ousted earlier this year as Michigan's Republican Party chair, but her fight to regain leadership of the party isn't over just yet.
Karamo and her attorney Daniel Hartman have officially asked the state Court of Appeals to reverse Kent County Circuit Court Judge J. Joseph Rossi's decision to remove Karamo and reinstate her as chair of the state party.
"I think it's tragic because six months have been wasted. Not just six months, but the whole last year was just these people instigating chaos, spreading lies, sowing discord, sowing confusion when we have a country to save," Karamo told CBS News Detroit.
"We challenged five issues with Judge Rossi's opinion in the appeal," said Hartman. "The first and only one of the issues which is a it's a case killer, is the fact that the judge did not have the right to make the decision, and that is subject matter jurisdiction."
In the months since Rossi's decision in February, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra has assumed the role of Michigan GOP chair. In response to the court filings, Hoekstra said the party is focused on electing republicans.
"No distractions!" Hoekstra wrote in a statement.
The party's executive director Tyson Shepard also wrote in a statement, "How Kristina Karamo chooses to waste her time and money is up to her."
It's a response that Karamo said she found humorous.
"I mean, it's hilarious for him to say that," she said. "That shows you what a a puppet this guy is. I mean, he's saying that these lawsuits are a waste of time and money. When it was his minions that filed the lawsuit."
The continued turmoil within the state Republican party comes just weeks before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Karamo said she wouldn't talk about whether she plans on attending.
