Feds Rule on Campaign Spending Complaint Four Days after Hawaii Republican Convention tosses out Crazies
by Andrew Walden
Timing is everything.
Just four days after Hawaii Republican delegates ousted Chair Tamara McKay and her supporters from Party leadership, the Federal Election Commission, April 29, 2025, ruled on the months-old complaint, filed by yours truly, regarding the Party’s use and reporting of the $546,381.14 received from selling the Hawaii GOP Headquarters.
At the time of the complaint, money had been drawn out and transferred to cover federal-related campaign expenses. FEC Commissioners explaining their decision to dismiss, explain that this proved:
“…The (Hawaii Republican Party) did, in fact, deposit the proceeds of the sale into its non-federal account….”
In dismissing a parallel state-level complaint, Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission Vice Chair David Chee had, October 16, 2024, explained:
“…involving this complaint, there has been no state campaign spending that has occurred yet. We do not have jurisdiction to do anything with respect to this complaint except dismiss it because it doesn't seem to involve any campaign spending.”
Chee’s key word is, “yet.”
The akamai reader may wonder what type of campaign spending account is neither state nor federal.
That’s a head-scratcher, but fortunately, the Hawaii Republican Party retained ‘Aristotle’, a DC-based campaign spending consultancy made up of former FEC personnel. In an August 20, 2024, memo forwarded to both state and federal campaign spending authorities, Aristotle explains:
“Because we could not determine that the Hawaii GOP office was purchased solely with federal funds, we recommend that the sale proceeds be deposited into a non-federal account….
“While the lack of assurance that the state party office was purchased solely with federal funds prevents the deposit of building fund proceeds directly into the federal account, the allocation process will allow those funds to be moved in piecemeal fashion to the federal account over time. In effect, the proceeds from the office sale will function as an endowment to help fund party operations for some time into the future.
“Whether the building fund account and disbursements therefore should be included in reports to the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission (CSC) is beyond the scope of this memo and our expertise. We recommend consulting with the CSC about state reporting requirements, if any.”
Now it is up to team sanity, headed by the newly elected Hawaii Republican Chair Art Hannemann and Treasurer Dennis Mataia, to use this ‘endowment’ wisely for both state and federal campaign expenses.
Timing is everything.
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PDF: FEC Closes Investigation of HI GOP June 5, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
- May, 2025: Delegates Elect New Hawaii Republican Party Chairman
- October, 2024: Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission: Republicans OK as long as they don’t spend any money defeating Hawaii Democrats
- August, 2024: Hawaii Republican Party Sells HQ—Where is the $1.2M?
- March, 2024: Hawaii Republican leaders secretly met with Miske Hitman Lindsey Kinney
- Feb, 2024: Long Lines Suppress Republican Votes on Election Day: City Clerk Plans to do it Again in 2024
- Jan, 2024: 'FBI' Chain Letter Scheme Entraps Hawaii Republicans and Libertarians
- Dec, 2023: FBI Illegal Disruption of Hawaii Republicans?
- Nov, 2023: Laughed out of Court: Libertarians Asked Federal Judge to ‘Disband Hawaii Republican Party’
- Sept, 2023: Can Hawaii Republicans Stop Vexatious Litigants?
- Sept, 2023: Lawsuit: Libertarians Ask Federal Court to ‘Disband Hawaii Republican Party’
- July, 2023: Real Estate Sharks Circle Hawaii Republican HQ as Party Loses ANOTHER Chairman
- May, 2023: VIDEO: Meet the 21 Trumpsters and Antivaxxers Running for State Republican Leadership
- May, 2023: Another Crackpot Election Lawsuit Thrown out of Court
- April, 2023: Trumpsters Fight Antivaxxers for Control of Maui GOP--Preview for Republican State Convention
- Feb, 2023: Hawaii Republicans lose challenge of 2022 election audit process
- Feb, 2023: Hawaii GOP Chair, Vice-Chair Suddenly Resign
- Jan, 2023: John Waihee’s Favorite Trump-era influence peddler sentenced to prison
- Dec, 2022: Hawaii 'Proud Boy' Leader Shows up in January 6 Report
- Dec, 2022: Hawaii Proud Boys Founder Gets Four Years Prison for Capitol Riot
- Sept, 2022: Trumpster Conspiracy Nuts Swamp Hawaii GOP Primary
- Sept, 2022: Fascism Doesn't Pay: Hawaii 'Proud Boy' Leader Pleads Guilty
- June, 2022: Duke Aiona Running for Governor?
- May, 2022: Trump Election Conspiracy Theories Front and Center in Hawaii Republican Party
- April, 2022: Kaimuki HS Grad Pleads Guilty to Trumpster Fraud
- Dec, 2021: Hawaii Proud Boys Founder Sued over January 6 Attack on Congress
- Aug, 2021: Anti-Vaxxers Set 'F*ck Ige' Rally for Capitol
- Feb, 2021: Hawaii Republican Chair Resigns in Wake of Trump’s Failed Coup d’Etat
- 2009 How This All Started: 9/11 Truthers Meet the Birth Certificate Brigade