WY GOP FILES SECOND COMPLAINT ALLEGING MORE DEMOCRAT CAMPAIGN LAW VIOLATIONS Dems Admit Guilt to First Complaint Filed by GOP Last Week by Calling Their Campaign Law Violation a“Huge Miscommunication on Our Part”
October 25, 2016
Cheyenne – The Wyoming Republican Party today filed a second complaint in as many weeks with the WY Secretary of State’s Office (SOS), this time asking them to investigate whether a leftist campaign organization provided illegal election assistance to some Democratic Party State House and Senate Candidates and whether there was illegal consultation and cooperation between some candidates and the organization.
“It is time for Democratic candidates to explain this situation to Wyoming voters.” Said Matt Micheli, Wyoming Republican Party Chair. “If the consultant that they hired is involved with illegally spreading false information under cover of pseudonyms or other organizations, these candidates have an obligation to step forward, denounce these activities, set the record straight and demand a refund for their consulting services.”
At least six Wyoming Democratic State House and State Senate Candidates have paid tens of thousands of dollars to a democratic campaign consulting group ELLA WY LLC (ELLA). ELLA has already admitted to being involved with one inappropriate mailer sent on behalf of a fictitious entity that was created by ELLA and “shared office space” with ELLA. Now, ELLA is connected to yet another organization which apparently also shares the same small office in Laramie.
Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance (WHAA) is listed as the organization that paid for mailers sent to at least seven Wyoming State House and Senate Districts providing false and misleading information regarding GOP candidates and supporting Democratic Party candidates by name and endorsing the candidates on its website.
Since the WHAA shares the same small office space with the groups ELLA WY, LLC, Women Lead Wyoming, Forward Wyoming and Forward Wyoming Advocacy it appears to the WY GOP that the WHAA has consulted and/or coordinated with the candidates or agents of the candidates whose election it supports, which is prohibited by law. While FORWARD WYOMING ADVOCACY is on record of changing its address just 10 days ago, below is a record of residency of the four organizations:
Chronology of 369 N. 4th Street, Laramie, WY
March 10, 2015 – Forward Wyoming incorporates using this as principal office.
September 17, 2015 – Wyoming Hunters & Anglers Alliance incorporates using this as principal office.
November 17, 2015 – Forward Wyoming Advocacy incorporates using this as principal office.
January 29, 2016 – ELLA WY, LLC registers domain website www.WomenLeadWyoming.org using this address.
March 19, 2016 – ELLA WY, LLC changes its principal office to this address.
September 18, 2016 – Wyoming Hunters & Anglers Alliance certifies under penalty of perjury as being principal office location.
October 10-21, 2016 – Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance mailers received by public.
October 14, 2016 – Forward Wyoming Advocacy changes its principal address listing from this address to an inaccessible private residential apartment complex with a generic address of 209 E. Grand Ave., Laramie, WY.
This chronology also directly contradicts ELLA’s claim in Saturday’s Laramie Boomerang that it allowed Forward Wyoming Advocacy to share the space while it “got its feet off the ground” since Forward Wyoming Advocacy was using the address four months before ELLA changed its principal office to this address.
It is clear that ELLA, Forward Wyoming, Forward Wyoming Advocacy, Women Lead Wyoming, and Wyoming Hunters And Anglers Alliance are all run by the same people, operating out of the same small office in Laramie. The Democratic candidates who have paid ELLA tens of thousands of dollars have now had four days to clarify their position – why would they pay those large sums for ‘consulting’ in an uncontested primary? What did they know about ELLA and these groups? Were these candidates aware of this campaign activity?
Public records show Wyoming Democratic candidates Dan Neal, Amy Simpson, Charles Pelkey, Narina Nunez and Ken Chestek have each paid ELLA thousands of dollars (nearly $18,000 in the 2016 primary). Democratic candidate Mary Throne admitted in Saturday’s Laramie Boomerang that she hired ELLA for consulting purposes for the general election, but has not yet filed her general election expense report.
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