by
Allan Lengel
Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox is accusing her predecessor -- and
de
facto successor -- of using $200,000 of party funds to pay a candidate not to run for secretary of state in 2018, claiming it's a potential campaign finance law violation.
In an explosive letter Thursday to state Republican committee members obtained by Deadline Detroit, Cox alleges former chair Ron Weiser of arranging payments totaling $200,000 to Shelby Township Clerk Stan Grot to skip a statewide campaign three years ago.
The letter comes two days before the state party convention and highlights division in the party at a time when the national GOP is similarly split.