NATHAN DAHM- OK State GOP Chair

Hides Financial Records

For Immediate Release                                                                                              

June 25, 2024

(Tulsa, OK) – From November 30 - December 2, 2023, twenty-two unusual donations showed up on the Oklahoma Leadership Council (OLC) donation page of FEC.gov. OLC is the legal entity name for the Oklahoma Republican Party. The donations stood out because of the amounts: $500.01, $500.02, $500.03 and up incrementally increasing by .01 per each donation. Click here to see donations.

When the 22 donations appeared online, Budget Committee member Joe Vaden recognized one of the names of the donors. Vice Chair Hill then called her to confirm if she made the unusual donation. She stated she did not.

Since Nathan Dahm’s election to the position of Chair of the OK GOP in May 2023, budget committee members have been denied access to requested financial records, bank statements and credit card statements. In light of the new donations, concerned budget committee members called the Federal Election Committee (FEC) to look into the matter. However, by the time the investigation was launched, the donations had disappeared.

Further research into the names of those twenty-two donations, reveal at least two others who had no idea about the donation under their names. One of those is Linda Russell who was listed as giving $500.04.

“I never made that donation,” Russell confirmed. “I checked my bank records just to be sure. But I would certainly remember if I made a $500 donation,” she concluded.

Treasurer John Elliott amended the records before the FEC stepped in, putting the investigation to rest. He referred to the donations as an “auto-populated” glitch in the system. But bank records have yet to be produced to prove this or to show where the $11,000 came from---and where it went.

On January 13, 2024, Kay County GOP Chair, Joe Vaden submitted another request for financial records, bank and credit card statements, etc. According to Vaden, Elliott told him he was unable to comply with the request until it was approved by Chairman Dahm. That was six months ago.

I called Elliott twice yesterday (June 24) to hear his side of the issue. The first call in the morning, he stated he was heading into a meeting and would perhaps call me later. I did ask if it would be accurate to say that Chairman Dahm would not allow him to turn over those records.

"No I wouldn't consider that accurate," he stated.

"Then why have the records not been provided to the Budget Committee?" I asked. Elliott begged off to attend his meeting and gave no response.

I called him later that same afternoon when he hadn't returned my call. The receptionist verified he was in his office, but he declined to take my call.

According to GOP Party rules 10(L): “The accounts of the Treasurer shall be accessible at all times to the State Chairman and Vice Chairman, and any member of the State Finance or Budget committees, or any representative of any of said officers or committees duly authorized in writing by such officer or committee.” (page 11 OK GOP Rules of the Republican Party – click on “Our Party then Our Rules”)

This is not the first questionable donation recorded by the OKGOP. In July 2023, McIntosh County Chair, Lynelle Medley received a donation receipt for $1050. “That wasn’t a donation,” Medley stated. “We had to pay convention delegate fees to the OK GOP and yet it was counted as a donation.”

Dahm has been at odds with his Budget Committee since they requested a meeting two months after his election. When Dahm refused to call the meeting, three members, Joe Vaden, Vince Scofus and Mike Birchard, called the meeting per Party rules. However, when the budget committee arrived at the Oklahoma City State office, they discovered the lock code for the doors had been changed and they could not gain entrance. They reconvened at another location and the meeting took place. Videos of that event are available here.

On June 17, Dahm, was given notice from State Committee members asking for his immediate resignation as Oklahoma State GOP Chair on the grounds of misconduct and misappropriation of funds. He has called the meeting "illegitimate." This is the third time during his tenure that he has tried to invalidate a meeting he did not want held since his election. A vote for his removal is scheduled for Saturday, June 29 in Oklahoma City. 

The list of reasons and evidence for his removal are outlined here.

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