Republican official: MN GOP's debt load 'some ugly stuff'

MN GOP Party chair Tony Sutton, center, was a driving force in the recount of the 2010 gubernatorial election. MN GOP officials say that recount is partly to blame for the party's financial woes. Sutton was joined by deputy party chair Michael Brodkorb, at left, and attorney Tony Trimble, at right, at a recount news conference on November 3, 2010. (MPR File Photo/Tim Nelson)

View full slideshow (2 total images) by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio

December 30, 2011

St. Paul, Minn. ? The Republican Party of Minnesota is heading into 2012 facing a debt of nearly $2 million, although they say they're contesting more than $700,000 in legal bills that make up part of that total.

Party leaders released an internal financial review Friday that shows the debt is much worse than previously reported. It includes $415,000 in payments from the last three years that had not been reported and a $120,000 fine from the Federal Election Commission.

The Big Story Blog is following this story today.

Republican National Committeeman Jeff Johnson said party officials wanted to get the full story out.

"The debt number is honestly higher than anyone wants it to be. There is some ugly stuff in here," Johnson said. "We decided we were going to disclose everything that we owed, ugly or not ugly."

Mike Vekich, who did the financial review, said his findings should not be considered a financial audit. He said the next steps are trying to determine how to reduce the debt and pay any fines that they could owe for not fully disclosing the party's finances. He called the debt "surmountable."

"The more important part is that they have a handle on it now," Vekich said. "Going forward you have leadership here that is committed to making sure that this does not happen again."

Former party chair Tony Sutton abruptly resigned last month. Republican Party members meet Saturday in St. Cloud to discuss the party's finances and to elect a new chair.

Source: http://feeds.mpr.org/~r/MPR_Politics/~3/mRHxuAk2AtY/

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