Letter to Montgomery County Elected Officials Regarding Chairman’s Misleading Fundraiser
May 31, 2023 | Media Inquiries: info@mctxgop.org
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX - Today, Vice Chairman Jon Bouché sent a letter to all Montgomery County elected officials to make them aware of dishonest tactics being used by Chairman Bryan Christ to raise funds for his Montgomery County Republican Club PAC.
Chairman Christ is holding a July 17 fundraiser for his Political Action Committee (PAC) to fund his PAC’s new “Republican Welcome Center” headquarters. As part of this fundraiser, Chairman Christ is sending out misleading advertising materials under a Montgomery County Republican Party email header. This is very confusing to voters and potential donors. The “Republican Welcome Center” and associated fundraiser are not affiliated with the Montgomery County Republican Party in any way.
Full Text of Letter Sent to Elected Officials
Dear Montgomery County Elected Official,
This letter is simply to provide those who have given to Bryan and Kristin Christ’s “Continue the Legacy” fundraiser the accurate information about where that money is actually going.
I believe that Chairman Bryan Christ using his title as Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party to raise money for his and his wife’s Montgomery County Republican Club PAC is improper and very deceptive.
Chairman Christ and his wife are telling donors that the money collected for his Montgomery County Republican Club PAC will be used for the Montgomery County Republican Party headquarters. But if this were the case, Chairman Christ would be raising money in the name of and for the Montgomery County Republican Party. There would be no need for him to do this through the PAC that he and his wife formed.
Please note that the property at Austin Street is leased personally by Bryan Christ and his wife for their Montgomery County Republican Club PAC. It is not in any way associated with the Montgomery County Republican Party and no lease has been signed by Bryan Christ in his capacity as the Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party. To date, the Montgomery County Republican Party Executive Committee has not authorized any lease to be signed for that or any location.
Donors should also be aware that Chairman Bryan Christ’s minority faction of the local party established the MCTX Republican Victory PAC (TEC Filer# 00087050) so that they could ostensibly raise money for the Montgomery County Republican Party. This is still an active account with the Texas Ethics Commission so there is absolutely no reason for Chairman Christ to be fundraising using the name of the local party but then depositing the funds into his Republican Club PAC account. However, you should also note that on their fundraising announcement, Chairman Christ has diverted money from the MCTX Republican Victory PAC Account directly into his Montgomery County Republican Club PAC (TEC Filer # 00086230, Treasurer, Bryan Christ). This is HIGHLY improper and unethical.
Without approval of the Montgomery County Republican Party County Executive Committee, Chairman Christ shut down the local party headquarters, liquidated the local party’s assets, and has now opened his own office for his newly formed Montgomery County Republican Club PAC which he is presenting as the local Republican Party Headquarters so that he can raise money for his PAC. Not only that, but the Chairman specifically stated in his 4/10/23 News Release that the “Clubhouse” would not be “leased by the Party.” (See last page of our news release.) The Chairman’s attempts to blur the lines between the party and his PAC by comingling assets, layering, conversion, and integration reminds me of some of the embezzlement cases I have worked as a fraud investigator.
I am writing this letter because I truly don’t believe that every donor on the list is aware of what Chairman Christ and his wife have done and are doing. If you are one of those who was unclear about what you were donating to, I recommend that you ask for a refund unless it was your intention to fund the Chairman and his wife’s PAC and have your donation used in the Primary Election to attack other Republicans.
There will also be a resolution presented at the next County Executive Committee Meeting on June 6, 2023, regarding this deceptive fundraising effort by Chairman Christ. Should it pass, it will be sent out to all of the Republican Voters on the party’s mailing list. (For more information about CEC Meetings and schedule, go to www.mctxgop.org/calendar.)
On a personal note, I will also state that I find it particularly offensive and distasteful that Bryan and Kristin Christ are invoking the name of the late Dr. Walter D. Wilkerson to not only blur the lines between the personal PACs they formed and the local party, but also to raise money for their deceptively named Republican Club of Montgomery County PAC (TEC Filer #00085614) or their Montgomery County Republican Club PAC (TEC Filer #00086230). After all, it was Wilkerson himself who was staunchly against organizations using the Republican name in their PAC to endorse in Primary Elections, and yet, that is exactly what Bryan and Kristin Christ are doing and have been doing with their Republican Club PAC and their Republican Voters of Texas PAC. https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/woodlands/news/article/Mailer-confuses-county-voters-9563259.php
The party will be opening a headquarters soon at a location to be determined by the County Executive Committee. Until that is done, we will continue doing the work of the party and endeavoring to keep Montgomery County “Red” and Republican voters informed.
Sincerely,
Jon P. Bouché
Vice Chairman
Montgomery County Republican Party
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Update (June 15): Chairman Bryan Christ’s “Montgomery County Republican Club PAC” has changed the language on its July 17 “Continue the Legacy” fundraiser advertising materials by removing all references to the Republican Party Headquarters. Anyone who donated to this fundraiser thinking they were funding the Montgomery County Republican Party Headquarters should ask the Montgomery County Republican Club for a refund. Read more »
Update (June 10): View a personal note from Vice Chairman Bouché on Facebook for an update on this situation.
More Information
Read more about Chairman Christ’s misleading fundraiser here.
Visit our County Party Updates page for more information and documentation.
Read the official Mediation Report from the Republican Party of Texas for an impartial assessment of the causes of division in the Party.
Email the Steering Committee with questions at info@mctxgop.org.