By: Darlene Smail
During the Primary election of 2022, Republican voters in Armstrong County elected two new State Committee people to serve on the Republican State Committee. One received 63% of the total votes cast. In June, PAGOP Chairman Lawrence Tabas removed her from office based on a lie.
PAGOP Rules and Bylaws Rule 1.1.d states that these Rules shall be the sole governing source for the State Party. However, the rules regarding the procedure to remove a State Committee person are scant. There are no rules on how the State Party determines which complaints merit further investigation. Circumstances in one county may merit an investigation but the same circumstances in another county may not. Why is that?
In most, if not all, professional organizations, a formal hearing is governed by a clear and outlined set of rules, especially one formed for investigatory reasons. In the above case, a hearing notice was given to the accused. And nothing else. After a request for further information regarding the procedural rules governing the hearing, a terse reply stated that the accused was permitted to bring forth witnesses and have an attorney present. And nothing else.
During professional hearings, audio, video or stenographic recordings are usually permitted to help maintain accuracy. Not so with the PAGOP. Recordings were not permitted. Why is that?
To give the accused an opportunity to compile a defense, all charges levied against the person are normally given in writing, well in advance of any hearing or formal proceeding. However, the PAGOP welcomes the introduction of additional, unsubstantiated allegations during the hearing, even asking the complainants if they had anything further to add. Why is that?
Attorney representation is permitted by the PAGOP during a hearing but that doesn’t mean the attorney will be allowed to speak. With the prevalence of Zoom meetings and hearings, the person in charge of such a hearing can mute anyone at the push of a button, even an attorney. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
The 5th Amendment of the US Constitution technically does not apply to a PAGOP hearing because it is not a criminal proceeding. The PAGOP insists the accused answer their questions. When the accused decides to give testimony against her attorney’s advice, the PAGOP may still decide to cut her testimony short and end the meeting. Why is that?
All of the above happened to me when 8 Republican electors from Armstrong County sent letters of complaint to Chairman Tabas in April alleging that I opposed Republican Party candidates because I was the campaign manager for only one Republican candidate.
During the hearing, one of the complainants introduced a new allegation, stating that I brought 2 Libertarian school board candidates to a Republican Committee meeting, requested others to sign their petitions and signed the petitions myself. This is the first lie.
The Decision Letter from the PAGOP states “The Committee found that Ms. Smail knowingly violated Rule 11.1 when she admitted to having engaged with the Libertarian Party about candidate recruitment and the circulation of nomination papers to place Libertarian candidates on the ballot for the November 2023 General Election.” This is the second lie. I never said any such thing.
I was removed from State Committee based on a lie, which was based on another lie — an accusation given during a hearing which denied me the opportunity to bring rebuttal witnesses. A lie that cannot be proven without the corroborating testimony from the original complainants due to having no record of actual testimony. A lie that resulted in a decision that, according to the Chairman Tabas, cannot be appealed.
My attorney sent a letter to the PAGOP, dated July 3, requesting a reconsideration of the decision, along with 8 notarized affidavits attesting to the actual facts surrounding this new accusation. These individuals would have been willing witnesses at the above hearing had they been notified in advance.
I have yet to hear back from the PAGOP regarding my request.
This unethical behavior by representatives of the PAGOP is an embarrassment. By signing the Decision Letter, Chairman Tabas is sanctioning these actions. Why is that?
I’ll tell you why. It is the same reason that County Chairs across Pennsylvania are removing elected Precinct Committee people from office. In 2022, hundreds of America First Republicans were overwhelmingly elected to State and Precinct Committees. Rather than embracing and mentoring these individuals, Establishment Republicans are using underhanded tactics to remove them.
Harrisburg100 
The blowback from Trump Supporters (who make up the vast majority of the GOP) is going to be horrendous. Good luck establishment GOP. Keep screwing the base. They won’t forget.
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Hard not to see it anymore. The GOP is a party of the elites, for the elites. High time we wised up.
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This is not just a problem in the Armstrong County committee – other counties are having similar problems with the PAGOP. The PAGOP is not doing their due diligence in getting to the facts. The first thing they should do is investigate the complainants – they may then learn a lot.
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While I am also aware of this being a problem in counties, the article refers to STATE Committee, which is governed by the PAGOP, not County GOP. The State is setting the example for counties to follow. Another reason could be that right after I was first elected to State Committee, I ran for Southwest Caucus Chair against an Establishment candidate, which REALLY upset the Powers That Be. And, probably, put another target on my back.
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Sorry, Jorn. It looked this was under someone else’s name when I replied.
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Thank you!
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We the residents of Armstrong county will take our party back. I attend every county GOP meeting. We maybe didn’t all run for committee members for the same reason. But we will come together. My opinion is the “country club members” are upset because us blue collar folks are tired of the BS. And made false accusations against Mr.Shea and Mrs. Smail because they see how hard these folks work for our county, and are scared. We’ll they should be because we’re not backing down!!! I was also under a state investigation before the election simply because I threatened their little fatuity. Nothing happened because I did nothing wrong. And I’ll keep fighting for my residents.
Not going to try that in a small town.
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Why didn’t you bring the 2 libertarian’s with you to dispute the claim? And why would anyone from the PAGOP try to get Libertarian’s on a ballot when they do nothing but take votes AWAY from respective candidates from the GOP? Sounds suspicious. Let them do their own leg work.
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The accusation wasn’t in the written complaint. It was brought up at the hearing. Since I didn’t have advance notice of the charge, I didn’t have a rebuttal. After the hearing, I sent in 8 affidavits to the PAGOP, including from one of the Libertarians, but I haven’t heard back from them. Their decision is final.
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Christine, this was a zoom meeting, under the control of the PAGOP, including muting during comments and that sort of thing. This should have been live in Harrisburg with witnesses in Ms Smail’s defense in attendance and speaking live as in a regular courtroom. If you study Libertarians a bit, you’ll find them to b e very intelligent, very informed, and more conservative than run-of-the-mill republicans. They would be good recruits for the republican party. I invited the Libertarians and they were well-received by the group in attendance. Libertarian meetings are open to the public – apparently, republican meetings are closed and top secret.
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Why didn’t you bring the 2 libertarian’s with you to dispute the claim? And why would anyone from the PAGOP try to get Libertarian’s on a ballot when they do nothing but take votes AWAY from respective candidates from the GOP? Sounds suspicious. Let them do their own leg work. Unless you are a “TROJAN HORSE” causing descension within the party.
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See previous reply…and it’s dissension. Yes, I am causing dissension…by insisting on transparency and fighting against the Establishment. I prefer “tiger by the tail” analogy.
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Actually, Christine, dissension wasn’t the proper word for what I am trying to accomplish. It’s not something that I can nail down to just one word. But it’s this idea. I/We aren’t going any where. We are tired of the “representation” that we have been getting. I stepped up to the plate. I was elected by an overwhelming number of votes, so it’s obvious that others feel the same way. I am the PEOPLE’S choice. The Establishment can remove me from that specific office, but I am not going anywhere. I will continue to work for the PEOPLE, not the Party. Why doesn’t the Party embrace these new people? Embrace us or get out of the way. Our numbers are increasing. My suggestion would be to learn how to get along and work together. Obviously, the Establishment doesn’t feel the same…and that would include the Committee members who made the initial complaints to get me removed. Facts matter. The facts are in the op ed.
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Agree not guilty until proven so.
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[…] Asked if she received any pushback from the party she said none at this point. She also confirmed the rumor that Darleen Smail was escorted out prior to the state committee meeting, following what some insiders are calling a “sham” hearing that found her in violation of a bylaw. Smail insists the hearing was based on a lie; her account is documented here. […]
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