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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
After a nearly year-long battle with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance (TREF), the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans (SCCR) was cleared of any financial wrongdoing after a complaint filed by Wes Duenkel, a motorsports photographer in Goodlettsville, alleged that SCCR was acting as an illegal PAC by not registering or disclosing the proper financial documentation.
TREF even opted to pursue the matter after requesting an investigation from the Tennessee Attorney General’s office which ultimately claimed their case had no merit.
SCCR Chairman Kurt Riley provided a statement to The Tennessee Conservative regarding the politicized nature of the complaint and subsequent investigations, “An individual was able to file a complaint with bogus evidence and initiate an investigation involving the Attorney General. The single biggest problem of all of this is this is [that] this individual was able to provide names to the registry of people he wanted investigated, and this board used his recommendation to subpoena 14 people and demand ALL records and communications. The rest of the evidence was bogus innuendo.“
According to the video record of the September 24th hearing, the board reviewed the relevant documents and set the rules, then the complainant and SCCR were provided the opportunity to restate the facts of their cases with any relevant testimony before the board asked questions and deliberated.
One of the more pertinent questions asked by the board of Duenkel’s representation was, “Do you have hard proof that shows SCCR received more than $1,000 in any calendar year?” To which counsel’s only answer was, “I think the answer to that is Mr. Duenkel has that proof and has presented that.”
The board pressed, “Do you have anything other than what he presented? That would be hard proof,” yet the attorney could only reiterate, “That would be Mr. Duenkel’s submissions.”
This question was asked regarding other incomes and expenditures made by SCCR, and the answer was approximately the same, with Duenkel’s attorney often speculating and even once admitting he has no tangible proof of certain claims against SCCR.
During his own testimony, Duenkel admitted he does not have enough “investigative authority” to provide proof of his claims. He was even rebuked by the board’s Chairman for questioning their existence, “Please don’t question the need or the utility of this board simply because we might not agree with you on this matter.”
On the flip side, SCCR attorney Clements was complimented for his ability to “parse” everything “incredibly well” throughout the months-long process.
At the conclusion of over two hours of testimony, questions, and board discussion, including a suggestion to refer the case to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the board unanimously passed a motion granting clemency to SCCR because of ambiguities in the law.
Moving forward, within 45 days, SCCR is required to register as a PAC and appoint a treasurer who would then assume responsibility for applicable financial reporting, with SCCR retaining the right to appeal the decision.
Given the registry’s history of appearing to protect the establishment while targeting conservatives and assigning civil penalties, these results are rather vindicating for SCCR, especially given that the group was commended by the board for their “good-faith” and efforts to educate and engage citizens.
Kurt Riley shared his bewilderment at Duenkel’s persistence, “We’ve been living rent free in [Duenkel’s] head for years and I’m worried he’s about to blow a gasket after not getting his way yet again. The obsession is astonishing.” Attorney Clements concurred, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone as obsessed with a group of people like Wes is with the Constitutional Republicans. It’s just bizarre.”
Riley concluded his statement with, “This continued pattern of behavior is nothing new for Democrat activists like Wes. They can’t win elections in places like Sumner County, so they resort to lawfare tactics. This all goes to show you that radical liberalism is really festering all over the place. We must keep fighting back against liberalism wherever it rears its ugly head.”
During the same meeting, the registry also opted to dismiss a complaint against Republican Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr which proposed, “concerns regarding the transparency and legality of Mr. Carr’s campaign finance activity, failure to properly pay property taxes in a timely manner, and other concerns regarding the operation of JoePAC at the federal, state, and county levels.”
In their official analysis and recommendations, the committee states they do not have jurisdiction over some of the complaints, like property taxes, and cites various Tennessee state codes justifying all other activity within Carr’s various political financial accounts, which have since been zeroed out.
They conclude, “the concerns raised in the complaint…are without merit. Therefore, Counsel recommends that this complaint be dismissed as factually and legally insufficient.”
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
