Legal back-and-forth continues over who controls Michigan Republican Party
(CBS DETROIT) - Former Congressman Pete Hoekstra was recently elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and just this last week received an endorsement to lead the state party by former President Donald Trump.
Hoekstra's leadership, though, is still being disputed by Kristina Karamo.
"It was on Truth Social. The president wants me to be the chairperson and sees the team that I'm putting together as his best opportunity to win the state of Michigan," said Hoekstra.
Hoekstra served in Congress for 18 years, representing Michigan's second district. He was tapped by Trump in 2018 to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands. But Karamo claims the vote to oust her is illegitimate, and she will not step down.
"The fact is, I'm still the chair of the Michigan Republican Party. I still am responsible for the day-to-day operations. I'm still legally responsible for the organization and all of its assets. So how can he be the chair if he has no control over any of the party's assets?" she said.
Hoekstra says Karamo's control over the purse strings and social media isn't ideal, but he's working around it.
"We're setting up alternative bank accounts. We're setting up our social media," he said. "We're getting ready to put in place the foundation to run a campaign. The infrastructure that will enable us to put forward a platform that will appeal to the voters of Michigan and tell them why they should be voting with us this November."
Meanwhile, a lawsuit is pending in Kent County to officially remove Karamo from her position.
"Some of Pete's minions have sued me," she said. "And we've already submitted evidence of threats and intimidation that committee members received in order to sign the petition. They are looking to bully and intimidate the committee members in order to take control, and we're simply not going to put up with it."
The Republican National Committee hasn't weighed in on the dispute but has removed Karamo's picture from their website. Now, the chairperson position for Michigan is listed as "vacant."
