MACOMB, MI – The Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP) executive committee met on Jan. 6 and performed all the steps defined by the GOP bylaws to remove Kristina Karamo as state chair. They appointed co-chair Malinda Pego as interim chair. Karamo claims the meeting was “illegitimate” and “illegal” and continues to represent herself as the only official chair.
As Karamo and her team appear to be gearing up for a battle in the courts, one executive committee member who spoke with the Tribune on condition of anonymity indicated that Pego is likely to appeal to the Republican National Convention (RNC) to officially recognize Pego as the interim party chair. An article published by bridgemi.com yesterday confirmed this.
Pego’s group insists that the process followed by the executive committee was in accordance with MIGOP bylaws. Karamo’s camp released a report delving into technicalities, like the definition of “calling a meeting” and time periods involved that they claim are violations of the bylaws that invalidate the Jan. 6 meeting.
On December 16, Karamo scheduled a meeting for this coming Jan. 13. She claims this is the only valid meeting on the topic of her removal from office. Pego claims to have officially canceled this Jan. 13 meeting.