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To the editor:
The recent sensationalized "news report" detailing cherry-picked bits and pieces of a meritless and flawed lawsuit filed against the Ohio Republican Party and its officers may have left readers with the inaccurate impression that false accusations are factual, and that fake claims and innuendo are somehow truthful realities.
This is the kind of garbage that was done to President Trump for four years, and Trump rightly called it "fake news"
One might further question the timing of such a "news story" on a suit that was filed back in November of 2021, yet published now with such bold and accusatory headlines, just a few days before early voting begins. If this were really just a "news story" instead of a political hit piece, it's four months late.
In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, I present the following inconvenient facts:
Fact One: The lawsuit in question is not against the Columbiana County Republican Party or my capacity as Chairman. It is filed against the Ohio Republican Party and its officers, of which I am the Treasurer. This case has absolutely no relation to the Columbiana County Republican Party as the news report and headlines falsely claim.
Fact Two: Bold headlines all across the top fold of the newspaper claiming that a "suit against the Republican Chairman continues" asserts yet another falsehood. It wrongly suggests that this case is somehow "in process" and that it "continues on". This just isn't so. Motions filed by the Ohio Republican Party to dismiss this frivolous, politically motivated lawsuit before it even sees the light of day have yet to be ruled upon by the court. So how does something "continue on" that hasn't even and likely will not ever begin?
Fact Three: The whole litany of deliberately false and politically motivated allegations that claim "Party funds" were improperly given to "unendorsed candidates" and that there are millions of dollars "missing" from Party coffers and that somehow the Party Treasurer "failed to sign off" on the finances of the Party and more...are all as absurd as they are false. There is not one shred of evidence to substantiate any of these false claims.
Fact Four: Every single dollar that comes into the Ohio Republican Party and that is spent by the Party is reported to the Ohio Secretary of State, and/or to the Federal Election Commission. There is no allegation, no assertion, no claim, not a scintilla of evidence from any of these official authorities to even suggest that any Party funds "are missing" or have in any way whatsoever been improperly accounted for or expended by the Party Treasurer.
Fact Five: The state Party's bylaws do not require annual audits. However, earlier this year the Party did contract with an independent audit firm responsive to a specific claim regarding the Party's 2017/18 balance sheet. This audit's findings categorically deny that there was any wrong doing, any impropriety or any Party monies unaccounted for and/or "missing". Yet the false claims of "missing" Party funds continues, fanned by misleading, false and inflammatory news reports such as are in question here.
I could elaborate further on this entire charade of a lawsuit, but rest assured that every single invented claim that has been leveled against the Ohio Republican Party and its officers in the Franklin County lawsuit is fabricated for political effect.
This crowd is associated with an organization that goes by the misleading name of Committee for a Better Ohio, which conceals who its contributors are by using un-reportable "dark money." I wonder who is really paying for all of this. We will find out.
Lastly, as Treasurer of the Ohio Republican Party, I proudly stand behind my six-year record during which record sums of money have been legally raised by the Party, and during which Republicans have been elected to every state office in Ohio, with Republican super majorities in the General Assembly and with a 12-3 Republican majority in our congressional delegation. The local news report omitted this matter of my public record.
David W. Johnson,
Columbiana County Republican Chairman,
33rd District Ohio Republican State Central Committeeman,
Treasurer of the Ohio Republican Party