Conroe Courier Sacrifices Credibility in Attempt to Provide Cover for Chairman Christ
July 8, 2023 | Media Inquiries: info@mctxgop.org
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX - Yesterday, the Courier of Montgomery County (Conroe Courier) printed yet another article full of falsehoods, half-truths, and slanderous allegations against the Montgomery County Republican Party. This is not surprising coming from a news outlet owned by the left-leaning Houston Chronicle.
The lack of research and follow-up in the Courier article is a good reminder of why we all need to move away from legacy media. This level of reporting mirrors the national press’s continual lying to the people, all while the conservative grassroots is fighting to save our country.
For those following along, see below for details and documentation refuting some of the false claims made in the article by Catherine Dominguez.
False Claims Made in the Article
According to reporter Catherine Dominguez, "The Texas Supreme Court has settled a yearlong legal battle within the Montgomery County Republican Party and denied a petition for a court order regarding the selection of precinct chairs.”
The court did not settle the issue, side with Chairman Christ, or say his actions were proper. They simply denied a hearing. While disappointing, this does not come as a surprise as the Texas Supreme Court has a long history of not getting entangled in political party disputes.
The Party majority was encouraged by Republican Party of Texas leadership to file the Petition for Writ of Mandamus after we had exhausted every available path to resolve serious issues that began with the very first meeting of the newly elected CEC in July 2022. The Supreme Court’s denial signals that political party disputes must be handled within the Party without intervention from the courts, clearing the way for the Republican Party of Texas to take action. You can find out more about this process by referring to this article written on March 20, 2023.
The Supreme Court did not settle the issue, side with Chairman Christ, or say his actions were proper. They simply denied a hearing, signaling that political party disputes must be handled within the Party without intervention from the courts.
Dominguez also falsely states, “… July 19, 2022 when Christ called an executive committee meeting to adopt bylaws for 2022-24… The meeting ended without any action.”
At the the July 19, 2022 Organizational Meeting, two agendas were debated; however, a substitute agenda was adopted by the majority present voting 47-31.
The Organizational Meeting adjourned to recess and was then continued on July 23, 2022, as stated on the meeting call sent by Chairman Christ. The July 23 meeting was held and the Organizational Meeting Agenda was completed in its entirety.
Dominguez continues by falsely stating, “The action comes after a Tea Party-led faction claims to have appointed six new seats while local party chairman Bryan Christ briefly left the meeting room last summer.”
The “Tea Party-led faction” is actually the majority of Precinct Chairs in the Montgomery County Republican Party.
Chairman Christ began referring to the majority of Precinct Chairs as the “Tea Party-led faction” because some of the Precinct Chairs also are members of the Montgomery County Tea Party. He uses this tactic to mislead the public into thinking that the opposition to his lawlessness is coming from outside the Party instead of from the vast majority of the County Executive Committee (CEC) itself.
Chairman Christ did not simply leave the room. He was replaced as Chair for the meeting because he refused to preside over the meeting. See the Petition for Writ of Mandamus, beginning on page 10, for documentation.
Chairman Christ refers to the Precinct Chair majority as the “Tea Party faction” to mislead the public into thinking that the opposition to his lawlessness is coming from outside the Party instead of from the Party majority.
Chairman Christ claims in the Courier article that the Petition for Writ of Mandamus “resulted in the loss of our party’s long-time lease on the Republican Headquarters established by former Chair Dr. Wally Wilkerson, and also the diversion of tens of thousands of donor’s dollars away from the control of the County Executive Committee.”
Chairman Christ is making a Nancy Pelosi move here by attempting to publicly blame others for his own deliberate actions. In reality, Chairman Christ closed down the Republican Party Headquarters and liquidated the assets without notifying the majority of the County Executive Committee.
He even falsely accused the Precinct Chair majority of not paying the rent on the Headquarters, then asked local political figures and Republican Women’s Clubs to give money to cover the rent. This false narrative can easily be disproven by reviewing the County Executive Committee’s bank records and Texas Ethics Commission filings found in this document (see page 1, “Rent Payments” and page 2, “MCRP Treasurer”).
He then immediately opened a new headquarters for his “Montgomery County Republican Club PAC” and began fundraising for his PAC’s new facility.
Chairman Christ and one of his improperly appointed officers also falsely accused Party Officers of misappropriating Republican Party funds despite knowing the money was accounted for in the bank records and Texas Ethics Commission filings.
It is important to note that no Party funds were used for the lawsuit. The Precinct Chair majority believes so strongly in following the laws of Texas, the rules of the state Party, and the bylaws of the County Party that they pitched in their own money to hire a lawyer and file the Petition for Writ of Mandamus.
Chairman Christ falsely accused the Precinct Chair majority of not paying the rent on Headquarters, then asked local political figures and Republican Women’s Clubs to give money to cover the rent.
On a roll, Dominguez continues her false statements with: “The party opened its new location at 921 W. Austin and will be the new Montgomery County Republican Clubhouse.”
As stated in the previous section, Chairman Christ abruptly closed the longtime county Party Headquarters in downtown Conroe and removed or donated its contents without notifying the majority of the County Executive Committee.
He immediately began promoting a new “Republican Clubhouse” on Austin St. in Conroe as a replacement for Headquarters. This new facility is affiliated with the Montgomery County Republican Club, a Political Action Committee (PAC) founded by Chairman Christ and his wife. Chairman Christ is the treasurer of this PAC.
Visit the last page of this document to see Chairman Christ’s original email stating that the “Republican Clubhouse” will not be leased by the Party and is headquarters of the “Montgomery County Republican Club.”
The “Republican Clubhouse” or “Republican Welcome Center” is NOT affiliated with the Montgomery County Republican Party in any way. The Party is currently seeking a new permanent Headquarters location.
This is not the first time Chairman Christ has been involved in promoting a PAC meant to confuse voters. In fact, this Texas Scorecard article explains how he and his wife have been part of deceptive PACs, including a counterfeit Tea Party organization, that endorsed establishment candidates in 2014 and 2020.
The 2020-2022 County Executive Committee passed resolutions condemning the Republican Voters of Texas PAC, another “pay-to-play” PAC the Christs helped to found and support. Read more about the Republican Voters of Texas PAC.
Chairman Christ has been confusing voters with his self-serving PACs as far back as 2014, as shown in this Houston Chronicle article about the “Texas Conservative Tea Party Coalition” that was used to endorse paying political clients.
Dominguez continues, “The issue is the latest chapter in a struggle for power among Republican party leaders in Montgomery County that dates back to 2018. During an executive committee meeting that year, a group stripped power from former chairman and founder Wally Wilkerson and created a seven-member steering committee to make major decisions for the local GOP. The group made Wilkerson one of the seven members, coming four months after Wilkerson defeated tea party challenger Terrance Boggs in the GOP primary.”
In reality, the group referenced above that supposedly “stripped power from the former chairman” was the elected majority of Precinct Chairs. According to Texas Scorecard, they voted in 2018 to “decentralize authority and create a system of checks and balances, requiring more people to have input in the party’s decisions rather than the chairman calling all the shots.”
The Courier article provides incorrect details about how the dispute within the Party originated.
Documentation has already been published at length in the following news releases, mediation summary, and in the Petition for Writ of Mandamus, all of which are publicly available at mctxgop.org, had Dominguez been interested in presenting both sides of the issue. Please note that the Petition for Writ includes sworn statements from witnesses describing what actually occurred.
The article ends by stating that Attorney Warren Norred “could not be reached for comment.” This is false.
Norred was contacted ONLY AFTER the article was written and posted, as shown in the texts below (click each text to enlarge):
Norred responded to Dominguez’s article by posting the following comment:
Needless to say, Norred refused to comment given the reporter’s lack of journalistic integrity from the beginning. Looks like this is just one more falsehood to finish off another incorrect article written by the Courier.
The Party Continues To Move Forward
The Montgomery County Republican Party is continuing the fight to safeguard Constitutional principles and values and take back our country. We are blessed to have so many patriots in the county who are willing to stand their ground to accomplish these goals. Our current focus is on preparing for the upcoming Primary Elections and Get Out the Vote efforts. Join us in keeping Montgomery County RED! Meetings are posted on our calendar and the public is always invited. We'd love to meet you in person!
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More Information
We encourage you to look for Alternative News Sources that critically evaluate issues rather than corporate news that repeats a given narrative or suppresses the truth.
View all news releases.
Read the Republican Party of Texas Mediation Report.
Visit County Party Updates.