Caryn Ann Harlos, elected secretary of the Liberal National Committee (LNC), the national ruling committee of the Liberal Party (LP), submitted the report. last week’s lawsuit Against the LNC and its elected chair, Angela McArdle, for acts of disloyalty that led to her disqualification from the country’s third-largest political party.
Harlos charged in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia that McArdle, who was re-elected to a second two-year term in May of this year, “breached her fundamental fiduciary duty and duty of loyalty to the Libertarian Party.” , divided loyalties, blatant violations of the party’s core principles, misappropriation of party assets to unrelated third parties, misappropriation of party assets, ordering and failing to disclose tens of thousands of dollars in party funds in private transactions, and/or timing clear conflicts. Appropriate disclosure.”
The legal action, known as a “derivative action” (a lawsuit in which a company member legally sues a company officer on behalf of that company), seeks to remove the chairman from office as a “last resort” before McArdle can continue to act. Ultimately, destroy the Liberal Party.”
McArdle’s listed acts of dereliction included “inviting a presidential candidate from another party.” [Republican Donald Trump]… Rally held before nomination of Liberal Party candidate [at the party’s nominating convention] “And in effect, it makes a mockery of even the idea of running the Liberal ticket.”
Harlos’ lawsuit acknowledges that while Trump’s invitation “might have been described as simply providing a forum for the party’s views to be heard,” McArdle’s “future actions render that interpretation, including ridicule, impossible.” ‘Promotional video’ For her party’s official candidate, who wears a clown nose and explicitly states that the purpose of her endorsement and endorsement is to ensure that: [President Joe] “Biden (Democratic candidate at the time) was not re-elected,” he said.
Harlos said McArdle has objectively supported rival candidates such as Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and thus “her fiduciary duty to act in good faith toward the LNC by not zealously maintaining voting access for national Libertarian candidates.” “There was a breach of duty.” .” Harlos also accused McArdle of participating in non-LP events this year, such as the “Rage Against the War Machine” and “Rescue the Republic—Join the Resistance” rallies (the latter of which Harlos characterized as objectively pro-Trump) “Internal accounting of all party resources used.”
Meanwhile, basic party business was ignored, the suit alleges. For example, McArdle said that instead of sending the certificate of nomination for presidential candidate Chase Oliver to the secretary of state to ensure that the LP candidate appears on the official ballot, “despite known problems with absenteeism or absenteeism,” McArdle said, instead sending it only to the state party chairman. I ordered it.” Unknown state chair and lack of proper mailing address.”
The suit also accuses McArdle of self-dealing by hiring “Austin Padgett, her life partner and the father of her son,” as her fundraising director. Federal Election Commission Report December 2023 and January 2024 LP paid Padgett more than $12,000, which Harlos claims went directly to McArdle’s household.
Harlos’ lawsuit alleges that these actions resulted in a “mass exodus of members” and “forced the party to suffer its lowest fundraising levels in decades.”
Adequacy of LP’s total cash holdings in August, last month financial figures What was revealed was half of what it was two years ago. General fundraising for the month was $68,854, the lowest of the year and down 27% from the previous month. April 2022It was McArdle’s final month in office. (This number does not include some very unusual parts of the party. joint fundraising committee With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. According to an article posted on LNC’s Public Works List As of earlier this month, the party had raised at least $139,000 from this fund.)
Compared to the previous presidential election year, the amount of fundraising was larger. August 2020 The party brought in $182,456 in general fundraising, more than double what it did in August 2024. Under McArdle’s management, party membership also plummeted. Maintain membership count It decreased by about a quarter.
McArdle’s opinion on Harlos’ lawsuit was provided to: reason Brian McWilliams, LP Communications Director, said: “Have you ever played Dungeons & Dragons? Imagine sitting with a group of people playing Dungeons & Dragons. Some of the players are new and don’t know what to do. They start arguing with the dungeon master, someone calls a timeout, and The decision is made to form a rules committee to explain how to play, and gradually the actual game is abandoned and the only focus becomes the rules committee, where the players get together every weekend to uphold the rules instead of the game.”
Veritas Law Firm, which represents Harlos, also assisted former LNC member Beth Vest. Previously such litigation Filed in May. Christopher LaFon of Veritas said in an email that the parties may consider consolidating the two lawsuits in the future, but a trial would not occur until the second half of 2025.
“The conduct alleged in this lawsuit does not constitute widespread skimming, but rather an effort to actively subvert a national political party and divert its financial resources into the pockets of outside organizations and individuals to support opposing elections,” LaFon says. “Our clients are shocked by the actions of the officer who committed the crime and we believe they will be shocked once the court hears the evidence and allows the officer who committed the crime to remain in office.”
Harlos’ lawsuit cites ongoing attempts by the LNC to remove him. her In the office. October 6 LNC preferential rates The secretary was sued and suspended from her duties pending a hearing next month.
that charge Opposition to Harlos includes “gross misconduct” in ensuring that party presidential candidate Chase Oliver is on the Colorado ballot despite the state affiliate wanting to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. instead. Harlos ensured that the LP’s candidates got on the Colorado ballot, and the allegations against Harlos “exposed the Liberal National Committee to lawsuits” of an unspecified nature or source, the lawsuit claims.
In two phone interviews last week, Harlos said he was confident he would indeed be kicked out. “This is a predetermined outcome,” she says. “I know how this group works because I was part of it.” (Harlos is referring to the LP’s Mises Caucus faction, which endorsed McArdle and has dominated the national party since 2022.) Harlos said his duty to ensure delegates put the candidate they choose in Colorado on the ballot is what McArdle decided to do. It claims to take precedence over the order.
Sources close to LP believe McArdle hopes to strip Harlos of his legal status by removing him from his position, but according to LaFon: Alternatively, if the claim is brought by a director, the court will resolve the complaint even if the director has completed his term of office or is no longer on the board. “This is the director who filed a lawsuit and ousted him.”
“It’s going to happen, they’re going to get rid of me,” Harlos says. “But putting our candidates on the ballot is really dirty politics.”
