The Libertarian National Committee voted last night to adopt the findings of a Special Investigatory Committee report that concluded former Chair Angela McArdle violated her fiduciary duty to the organization by concealing financial conflicts of interest and misusing donor funds. McArdle resigned from the LNC earlier this year.
The 94-page report was produced by a committee tasked by the LNC to investigate conflicts of interest and questionable business practices within the national organization. It outlines a series of undisclosed transactions involving two entities linked to McArdle’s domestic partner, Austin Padgett.
The committee’s investigation found that McArdle engaged one of the entities, Freedom Calls LLC, for call center services without board approval or a written contract. The arrangement resulted in $49,600 in party expenditures for fundraising efforts that returned only $2,468.57. The committee also determined that Freedom Calls’ ownership was deliberately obscured through the use of a Delaware LLC and a misleading W-9 form.
The report further found that Swing Vote Strategist, another Delaware-based entity controlled by Padgett, funneled $32,000 in payments to McArdle from the Kennedy Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign. These payments were not disclosed to the LNC as required by policy.
McArdle was also found to have used party resources to promote “Rescue the Republic,” a rally organized last fall in Washington, D.C., by Rescue the West, a nonprofit she founded.
In addition to adopting the report, the LNC passed a resolution deeming McArdle “unfit to serve on the Libertarian National Committee, as an affiliate leader or as a candidate representing the Libertarian Party.” The motion also encourages the Bylaws Committee to recommend structural reforms for handling future cases involving financial misconduct.
While the report recommended against pursuing litigation due to discovery-related costs, it left open the possibility of future legal action if privately funded by Libertarian Party members.
>Does this resolution mean that the LNC has disqualified McArdle from seeking an LNC seat or the LP nomination for the president in the future?
– For appointment to an LNC officer or at-large vacancy, possibly, but that could be appealed to the Judicial Committee.
– For appointment to a LNC regional rep, no, that’s up to the regions, hopefully they would be exercising some sense and saying no.
– For nomination for President, no, that’s up to the delegates, also hopefully they would be exercising some sense and saying no.
Ideally, it should be a disqualifier, but realistically, it just weighs heavily against her.
I don’t believe that they can do that under our bylaws.
Does this resolution mean that the LNC has disqualified McArdle from seeking an LNC seat or the LP nomination for the president in the future?
It was only frivolous to you, Ricky.
Turns out that both Ms. Harlos and Ms. Vest were correct to file those suits. Their cases may now be moot, but they certainly weren’t frivolous.
And you just kept embarrassing yourself with your repeated and unfounded claims of others embezzling…never bringing any receipts because there wasn’t any…
Any chance of recovering the party money wasted due to Harlos’s frivolous lawsuits?
In 2019, when the LNC was debating paying the Chair I emailed the LNC with the following:
Here we are 6 years later and the LP Bylaws are still missing a Conflicts of Interest clause, AND both documents a clause prohibiting any LNC member from receiving compensation for serving on the LNC.
Might I suggest something if the LNC decides to take legal action against McArdle and Padgett?
As this report stated, what they paid in fees for fundraising to Freedom Calls LLC was definitely a bad investment, considering Padgett (and his associates) raised less than 5% of what was paid out to them, a major loss.
If the LNC ever decides to seek judicial relief in civil court, I would suggest recovering $47,131, the damages done by Freedom Calls LLC, and their “staff” not doing their jobs and scamming the LNC in the process.
Should probably nail SVS for the $32,000 in damages.
Add the costs of discovery during the SIC’s investigation and BLAMMO! McArdle and Padgett will never be taken seriously in this party ever again, and they have to pay all that money back to the LNC that Angela essentially mismanaged from day one.