Allegations of lies, threats, and bribery shake PA GOP ahead of winter meeting

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — Have you felt it? The earth is quaking in the Republican Party of Pennsylvania following jawdropping allegations of threats, bribery, and slander made by Commonwealth Court candidate Joshua Prince, causing him to issue a call for an investigation into this activity, and he has proposed a private ballot process at the upcoming PA GOP Winter Meeting, slated for Feb. 7-8 in Camp Hill. 

In Prince’s post, issued shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, he alleged that Jackie Kulback, who is both the Cambria County Republican Committee Chairwoman, as well as the Southwest PA GOP Caucus Chair, has issued threats and offered inducements to other candidates, as well as made  “false, slanderous, derogatory, and defamatory comments about (Prince)” to state committee members, and others. (Prince even called for her removal as county and caucus chair.)

Prince inferred that Kulback’s behavior is aimed at influencing votes of PA GOP state committee members, at the endorsement portion of the Winter Meeting, in the lead-up to Pa.’s May 20^th primary election.  (The PA GOP has been holding regional caucuses and conducting straw polls, determining who is the most favorable candidates in several races, including Commonwealth Court candidate, Superior Court candidate, and PA GOP Lawrence Tabas’ replacement in the PA GOP Chairman seat.)

Prince, who’s from Berks County, first reported these allegations in a Jan. 24^th letter to outgoing PA GOP Chairman Tabas, but Prince failed to get a response. He did however receive word from other state committee members, alerting him that this conduct was “ongoing, widespread and spanning multiple candidates” – not just him. 

This forced Prince to send a follow-up letter to Tabas (Jan. 27^th) – this time, issuing a threat of his own: that if no intervention came from Tabas’ authority, then by 5 p.m. Tuesday, he would go public, which he did (on Facebook and his personal blog). In that same letter, Prince called for a “private ballot process” at the Winter Meeting, in light of this alleged background maneuvering. Prince even threatened legal recourse that could “inculpate other individuals whom have accepted pecuniary or other benefits in exchange for a vote.” (Prince copied both PA GOP Chair candidates – state Sen. Greg Rothman and prominent Trump supporter Bill Bachenberg – on the letter, as this controversy may carry into the next administration’s term.)

Prince cited the state’s crimes code for Tabas, alerting him that “bribing a political official in political matters .. is a felony of the third degree,” while “threatening or ..influencing a political official … is a misdemeanor of the 2^nd degree.”

In an emailed letter to Prince, Kulback addressed the controversy, brought to her attention by Tabas, but denied any criminal wrongdoing – only explaining her behavior as: her responsibility as a GOP county and caucus chair to share her “opinion with others and discuss the merits of a candidate,” shielded by the 1^st Amendment. Prince shared her letter in full, here.  Kulback added: “You have accused me of criminal and civil wrongdoing; however I retain my rights as a private citizen, and I will not tolerate your legal attacks and attempts at intimidation.” In her letter, she laid out her reasons for not supporting his candidacy; and closed saying as a candidate for public office he is subject to public scrutiny and evaluation.

Prince’s call to action includes the following: 

1. Demand that all statewide candidates, including PAGOP Chair candidates, issue public written statements denouncing the actions specified in my letters and explicitly stating, if true, that they had no involvement with or knowledge of any such actions, and to the extent promises or threats were made on behalf of their candidacy, that they rebuke them and that no inducements, promises, or threats made will be carried out in any form.
2. Demand, to ensure election integrity, while precluding election interference, that the Private Ballot Process that I drafted be implemented for all candidacies at the Winter Meeting.
3. Support individuals of state committee and beyond, who were promised inducements or threatened, in coming forward and notifying Chairman Tabas and Party counsel Tom King of the inducements and/or threats. Those individuals can also feel free to CC me – Josh@PrinceForJustice.com – on any such emails, if they feel comfortable. Together, we can ensure that this type of conduct ends now.
4. Send emails to Chairman Tabas and PaGOP Counsel King demanding that Ms. Kulback be removed as Chair for the Southwest Caucus and Chair of Cambria County, for a period of no less than 5 years, for conduct unbecoming a Republican, let alone, a state committee person.

PA GOP state committee members and/or candidates are welcome to send their public statements to Harrisburg100 on this issue, we will keep an ongoing list of public/submitted statements. Email: info@hbg100.com