WY Freedom PAC returns $25,000 donation to Crook County GOP after Driskill files complaint

“While we are immensely grateful for the Crook County Republican Party’s dedication to the freedom movement, no amount of support is worth a politically motivated prosecution for the sake of another headline designed to ridicule conservatives,” wrote Kari Drost, chair of WY Freedom PAC, in an op-ed sent to Wyoming media outlets.

The Crook County Republican Party donated $25,000 to the PAC on June 11, according to the PAC’s August campaign finance report, which was filed Thursday. The PAC returned the donation on Tuesday, according to the report.

At a time when election season is marked by fears about political advertising and what critics call dirty campaigning, the donation raised eyebrows.

Under state law, “political party funds may not be used directly or indirectly to support the nomination of one person against another person of the same political party participating in the primary election.”

Senate President Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower) cited the law in his complaint to the Wyoming secretary of state on Saturday.

“The law is very clear about its intent,” Driskill wrote in a letter included with the complaint.

“Whether the donation is made directly to a candidate or to a PAC whose stated purpose is to pit Republicans against Republicans (sic), it is clear that the donation violates the law,” Driskill wrote.

“I would further request that the Secretary of State refer this matter directly to the Attorney General due to a conflict of interest,” Driskill wrote in the complaint.

Joe Rubino, general counsel for the Secretary of State’s office, is married to Jessie Rubino, the state director of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray confirmed to WyoFile that the complaint had been forwarded to the attorney general’s office, but said Driskill’s request to do so indicated “that an employee’s spouse cannot have her own career, with her own beliefs and opinions, which would be a very sexist statement.”

It is now up to the Attorney General to assess the complaint.

The WY Freedom PAC, sometimes referred to as the Wyoming Freedom PAC, was founded in 2023 to support members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

The caucus is aiming to win a majority in the Wyoming House this election, and the PAC’s biggest contribution to that effort this summer came in the form of mailers. Since late July, the PAC has spent more than $93,000 on printing and shipping, according to its campaign finance report.

But that has not been without controversy.

The Wyoming Legislature has never voted on whether to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot, but the PAC has sent letters to voters arguing otherwise.

Since then, Fremont County lawmakers who were targeted by the fake mailers have sent a letter urging them to stop sending the bogus email.

“Please be advised that if you refuse to stop making these false statements, continue to send these mailers, and continue to allow your members and deputies to make these false statements, we will unfortunately have no choice but to take every action the law allows to ensure that your organization stops making its malicious and patently false statements that have damaged the reputations of Mr. Larsen and Ms. Oakley,” Jeff Stanbury, an attorney for Reps. Lloyd Larsen (R-Lander) and Ember Oakley (R-Riverton), wrote in a July 30 letter to the PAC.

Other targeted lawmakers have already taken similar legal action.

Reps. JT Larson (R-Rock Springs) and Cody Wylie (R-Rock Springs) filed a defamation lawsuit in July after being targeted by postal workers.

PAC chair Kari Drost previously told WyoFile that the Sweetwater County lawsuit was “lawfare.”

She reiterated this position in her op-ed on Thursday.

“Like President Trump, Wyoming conservatives have been targeted by an unprecedented weaponization of the justice system — the left’s only remaining tool in its fight to maintain control,” Drost wrote. “Frivolous lawsuits, flawed cease-and-desist letters, and open threats of political persecution are new to Wyoming politics.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Driskill told WyoFile he wishes the Secretary of State’s office had investigated the donation issue once it hit the press in late July.

“I shouldn’t have to stick my neck out and file a complaint,” Driskill said.

“But this is a serious matter,” Driskill said, adding that he was disappointed the secretary of state’s office didn’t take matters more seriously during last week’s meeting of the Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions, when lawmakers pressed him — and each other — to find solutions.

Gray opposed this characterization.

“Senator Driskill’s false attacks on my integrity are inappropriate and defamatory,” Gray told WyoFile in an email. “It is deeply troubling because with his false and defamatory accusations, Senator Driskill is doing exactly what he accuses the Freedom Caucus of doing.”

The primaries are on August 20. Early voting has now begun.

Want to learn more about Wyoming’s federal and legislative candidates? Check out WyoFile’s 2024 Election Guide.