Police remove former Michigan Republican Party chair from GOP convention for trespassing
Even after being officially ousted from her role as chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Kristina Karamo still made an appearance at the Michigan Republican Convention this weekend in Flint. At least, until party officials called the police on her.
On Saturday, the Detroit News' Paul Egan tweeted a video of Flint police escorting Karamo from the premises while she insisted she was doing nothing wrong. Karamo was heard blaming her removal from the convention on "[current Michigan GOP chair] Pete Hoekstra's thugs" and decrying the "corruption" within the state party organization.
Egan wrote that Michigan GOP leaders apparently only called law enforcement after Karamo proved to be uncooperative with their requests: Namely, that she refused to take a seat at the convention and even declined a guest credential. He added that the convention now has a heightened police presence due to what Michigan Republican Party executive director Tyson Shepard described as "the disruptive actions of a few."
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In another video taken by Bridge Michigan reporter Craig Mauger, Karamo is seen being led through a doorway from the convention floor while a throng of both supporters and critics surround her. When a man tried to sneak past police to get closer to Karamo, a convention security worker grabbed his arm, prompting a brief scuffle.
After the former Michigan GOP chair was taken outside, police continued to walk with her to her vehicle, clearly agitated by the scrum of reporters peppering her with questions. At one point, while Karamo was describing how she was only at the convention to support a candidate, a female Flint Police Department officer erupted, saying: "OK enough of your campaign. Where is your car?" That officer confirmed to Bridge Michigan reporter Simon Schuster that Karamo was "trespassed."
"You can't stop me from talking! I'm not committing any crimes," Karamo responded. "I'm walking to my car."
Karamo's contentious appearance at her party's convention comes as the former chair continues to dispute that her ouster was legal. A majority of state party committee members voted to remove Karamo from her position in February, and put former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Michigan) in charge.
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Republicans in the Mitten State ultimately decided to force Karamo out due to the dismal financial state of the party's finances. In December, eight of Michigan's 13 Republican congressional district party chairs co-signed a letter calling for her removal due to reports that she had driven the state party more than $600,000 in debt.
Karamo — a 2020 election denier who ran a failed campaign for Michigan secretary of state in 2022 — was elected to her position in 2023. However, her short-lived tenure was rife with controversy, particularly due to her inability to get the state party's coffers out of the red in a crucial election cycle. In November, Comerica Bank sent the state GOP a notice of default letter informing Karamo that the party had failed to pay interest on a loan in excess of $500,000.
Watch the videos of Karamo being removed from the convention below, or by clicking this link.
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