Well, It’s Official: The Lawyers Are Involved

Hey Party Watchers,

Just when you thought this IDGOP soap opera couldn’t get any juicier, today Anthony’s lawyer dropped a demand letter right in Dorothy Moon’s lap. We’re sure she’s thrilled.

For anyone just joining us or in need of a refresher: Anthony Tirino is the most recently-fired Executive Director of the Idaho GOP; the latest in a long line of party staffers to get the Dorothy Moon boot. We told you all about his abrupt (and, let’s be honest, messy) exit in our last email, including how no one, least of all Anthony, got any real clarity about his employment status. Classic Dorothy.

Now, the letter makes it crystal clear: Dorothy does not get to play judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to firing the Executive Director. We don't know exactly how the Executive Board or a court would come down on that decision. We would argue that Dorothy acting all by herself, again, just continues to get the party further and further into trouble.

Here is the kicker, the party rules (see Article 1, Section 25; yes, we read them, Dorothy) require the majority of the executive board to approve any party litigation, responses, or legal moves. Translation: she can’t just wing it, but does anyone think she’ll actually ask first?

If we had to bet, Dorothy will just call up her old pal Bryan Smith to swoop in as her “personal” party attorney again. Nothing says transparency like your National Committeeman doubling as legal counsel, right? (Whose interest is he actually representing?) But here’s the sticky part: the Executive Board, and ultimately the State Central Committee, not Dorothy, should be the client in any legal arrangement. Before anyone signs a retainer (cough cough, Bryan Smith), EVERY member deserves to know exactly how the lawyer’s getting paid; especially since the party’s finances are, shall we say, less than robust.

Because as we’ve said over and over, the Chair should be spending money to elect Republicans, not to cover her ever-growing legal messes. Speaking of which, let’s not forget the still-unpaid $82,000 in legal fees Dorothy racked up with her favorite attorney, Bryan Smith, over the Bingham County lawsuit. With this new potential liability looming, who in their right mind is going to donate to the Idaho GOP just to bankroll Dorothy’s legal tab? At this point, the party’s biggest fundraising pitch might as well be, “Help us pay our lawyers!”

Meanwhile, Anthony is asking to stay on the payroll at his approved $75,000-per-year salary until this circus is resolved. And here’s the kicker: if Dorothy predictably ignores the rules and this heads to court, the party could be on the hook for up to three times Anthony’s unpaid salary in damages if he wins. That’s right, treble damages. With how slow lawsuits crawl through the system these days, this could drag out for more than a year, and bleed the party’s already-tight bank account dry.

But why follow the rules and avoid financial disaster when you can keep doing things the Dorothy way?

Stay tuned. Party Watch will be here tracking every legal plot twist.

Until next time,
Party Watch