Even after she was officially removed from her position as chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Kristina Karamo still appeared at the Michigan Republican Convention in Flint this weekend. At least until party officials called the police.
On Saturday, Paul Egan of the Detroit News tweeted a video of Flint police escorting Karamo from the venue while she insisted she had done nothing wrong. Karamo attributed her exclusion from the convention to “the thugs of (current Michigan GOP Chairman) Pete Hoekstra” and denounced “corruption” within the state party organization.
Egan wrote that Michigan Republican leaders apparently only called the police after Karamo proved uncooperative with their demands, refusing to take a seat at the convention and even refusing to be admitted as a guest. He added that the convention now has an increased police presence, which Michigan Republican Party Executive Director Tyson Shepard called “the disruptive actions of a few.”
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In another video, shot by Bridge Michigan reporter Craig Mauger, Karamo is seen being led out of the convention hall through a door as a crowd of supporters and critics surround her. When one man tried to sneak past police to get closer to Karamo, a congressional security guard grabbed his arm, leading to a brief scuffle.
After the former Michigan GOP chairwoman was escorted outside, police continued to escort her to her vehicle. She was clearly agitated by the crush of reporters who peppered her with questions. At one point, when Karamo explained that she was only at the convention to endorse a candidate, a Flint Police officer freaked out, saying, “OK, enough of your campaigning. Where’s your car?” That officer confirmed to Bridge Michigan reporter Simon Schuster that Karamo was “trespassing.”
“You can’t stop me from talking! I’m not committing crimes,” Karamo replied. “I’m going to my car.”
Karamo’s controversial appearance at the convention comes as the former chairwoman continues to deny that her removal was legal. A majority of state committee members voted to remove Karamo in February and put former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Michigan) in charge.
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Republicans in the state ultimately decided to oust Karamo because of the dire financial situation of the party. In December, eight of the 13 Republican party leaders in the Michigan Congress signed a letter calling for her removal amid reports that she had put the state party more than $600,000 into debt.
Karamo – a 2020 election refuser who ran a failed campaign for Michigan secretary of state in 2022 – was elected to office in 2023. But her brief tenure has been fraught with controversy, particularly over her inability to pull the state’s coffers out of the red in a crucial election cycle. In November, Comerica Bank sent the state GOP a default letter informing Karamo that the party had failed to pay interest on a loan of over $500,000.
Watch the videos of Karamo’s expulsion from the meeting below or by clicking this link.
READ MORE: Report: GOP in Michigan removes its chairman
