America First Republicans ordered to pay thousands in contempt of court

HILLSDALE — Ongoing civil litigation in the Hillsdale County Republican Party rift settled Dec. 28 with a binding court order holding America First Republicans Jon Smith, Josh Gritzmaker and David Mosby in contempt of court.

The trio were ordered to pay $500 in court fines, which were also given to Michigan GOP Chairwoman Kristina Karamo and the Michigan GOP itself.

Smith, Gritzmaker, Mosby, Karamo and the Michigan GOP were also ordered to pay all of the Hillsdale County Republican Party’s legal fees in the matters.

The court’s order, issued by Lenawee County Circuit Judge Michael Olsaver, stemmed from a trial in 2023 where Brent Leininger, the chairman of the Hillsdale County Republican Party, testified that Smith, Gritzmaker and Mosby all continued to represent themselves as the official Hillsdale County Republican Party, despite a court order not to.

Olsaver also found Karamo and the Michigan GOP in contempt by recognizing the trio as the official Hillsdale County Republican Party and listing Mosby as the chairman of the local party on the state’s website.

More: Court rules against 'America First' faction in ongoing Republican rift

The trio and their followers are now conducting themselves as America First Republicans, continuing business as usual under the new name and recently held a toy drive for Toys-for-Tots.

The rift between the two factions became evident Aug. 11, 2022, when Leininger’s faction and dozens of newly elected precinct delegates from the Aug. 2, 2022, primary election were barred from entering the county convention held at Sozo Church.

On Aug. 25, 2022, days before the state’s convention, Leininger’s faction convened its own meeting and elected a temporary executive committee to serve through the end of the year, ousting Wiseley and the America First faction, who dismissed the Leininger faction’s actions that day as unlawful.

More: Hillsdale County GOP feud lands in court after dueling factions claim control

During the August 2022 Michigan GOP convention, former MI GOP Chairman Ron Weiser sided with the America First Republicans, but changed course Dec. 28, 2022, when he authored a three-page letter explaining his decision to side with the Leininger faction.

The America First Republicans contend that they never refused any of the Leininger faction’s delegates entry into their November 2022 county convention and went out of their way to invite them to work together.

Olsaver granted a preliminary injunction order Nov. 15, 2022, in favor of Leininger’s faction, barring former Chairman Daren Wiseley or any of the other America First executive committee leadership — including Smith and Gritzmaker, from conducting business as the Hillsdale County Republican Party.

Despite the court’s ruling, both the America First and Leininger faction convened separate conventions in November 2022 to elect new executive committee members as required by law.

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Wiseley was ultimately replaced by David Mosby, who was then served with his own court summons in the ongoing rift.

In separate interviews with Smith — who maintains relationships with other Michigan Republicans such as outgoing Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock and State Rep. Steve Carra — he indicated rifts are mounting in local county parties across the state and within the Michigan GOP itself.

In West Michigan's Ottawa County, members of the county GOP sued the executive committee in December 2022, forcing the group to redo its convention, after a circuit court judge agreed that the group didn't follow its own bylaws.

— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: America First Republicans found in contempt of court, ordered to pay