By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)
Senators in the Virgin Islands had a "date" with Dennis Lennox recently at a hearing regarding proposed legislation, and they definitely swiped left...
Lennox has inserted himself in ongoing election drama there involving fellow Michigander John Yob's successful bid for a delegate spot in Cleveland a few months ago.
Lennox has inserted himself in ongoing election drama there involving fellow Michigander John Yob's successful bid for a delegate spot in Cleveland a few months ago.
One Senator even quoted a WMP article while tearing into the controversial Michigan political operative. Lennox eventually bailed on the hearing before it was completed...
"Lennox walked out less than two hours into the hearing. Non-committee member Sen. Kurt Vialet spoke shortly after Lennox’s sudden departure. “While I was happy to see that there was representation from the Republican Party, you have to seriously question the representation keeping in mind that the person that was testifying just got here to the Virgin Islands just three months ago, ” he said.
Vialet said he did some research about Lennox online, and found that he’s been fired by the Morning Sun as a columnist, and the newspaper purged all of Lennox’s columns from its website because of ethical issues. Vialet said he also found reporting that Lennox “has previously come under fire for, among other things, hacking the Wikipedia page of Ingham County Commissioner and well known Democrat political consultant Mark Grebner, calling him a homosexual and child molester. He was successfully sued.”
You've gotta check out the full report from local media in the Virgin Islands:
Dennis Lennox spoke on behalf of Republican State Chairman John Canegata, who had been invited to testify by the Senate’s Rules and Judiciary Committee on two bills related to election reform, which ultimately were approved. The bills, which will be forwarded to the full Legislature for consideration, unify the boards of election into one board of 14 members, and define the terms “domicile” and “residency” as it relates to qualifications as an elector.
Lennox, a political consultant who said he moved to the territory from Michigan about three months ago, was ostensibly present to testify on two bills. But he instead used his time to make thinly veiled references to a rival Michigan political consultant, John Yob. Lennox would not return phone calls to the Daily News on Thursday after the committee hearing. While he did not name Yob during his testimony, Lennox said that “several issues highlighted by recent controversy arising out of the Republican presidential caucus should give all Virgin Islanders pause as to the residency and domicile criteria for those persons registering to vote in the territory.” He said that “four Republican voters” in that caucus, “swore false oaths and provided false information to election officials in the process of registering to vote.”
Yob and his wife, as well as family friends Lindsay and Ethan Eilon, stirred controversy when they moved from Michigan and participated in the caucus, setting off a series of ongoing legal battles over who has the right to become an elector in the territory.
Lennox also criticized Attorney General Claude Walker for pursuing, “frivolous legal actions against conservatives, Libertarians, and Republican think tanks in Washington, D.C., but ignored cases of voter fraud with respect to domicile here in the Virgin Islands.”
However, senators quickly turned their attention to Lennox himself. Committee members Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly, Kenneth Gittens, Jean Forde, Justin Harrigan Sr., and Novelle Francis Jr. took turns attempting to dissect Lennox’s motives for being in the territory, first prodding gently, then asking more direct, probing questions.
In response to senators’ questions, Lennox said he is a political consultant with clients around the world. He said he has no clients in the territory, has been living in the Virgin Islands for less than 90 days, has not yet obtained a driver’s license, and does not have a business license in the Virgin Islands. Lennox said he is a member of the Republican Territorial Committee, is registered to vote in the territory, and insisted he intends to “live in the Virgin Islands permanently.”
While Lennox initially answered senators’ questions, he declined to respond as the hearing went on, saying he was present at the hearing to speak on behalf of the party, not answer personal questions. Rivera-O’Reilly said that while Lennox did not actually say whether or not the party agrees with the proposed legislation, “you did take the opportunity, very astutely so, may I point out, to lodge all of your concerns on the record.” Francis engaged Lennox in a brisk round of questioning, asking “do you consider yourself an antagonist?” and “do you go around the country promoting and effecting changes to the election process?” Lennox demurred. “I go and work in places where I choose to live, and I’ve chosen to live in the United States Virgin Islands, ” he said.
The comment contradicted Lennox’s previous statements that he has no business interests in the territory, and Francis was not swayed. “You know, the power of the media and technology, it’s very easy to find out who individuals are. And certainly you’re not fooling anyone, at least not me, ” Francis said. “So I understand your role. I understand what you’re here for, and I have no further questions for you.”
Lennox walked out less than two hours into the hearing. Non-committee member Sen. Kurt Vialet spoke shortly after Lennox’s sudden departure. “While I was happy to see that there was representation from the Republican Party, you have to seriously question the representation keeping in mind that the person that was testifying just got here to the Virgin Islands just three months ago, ” he said.
Vialet said he did some research about Lennox online, and found that he’s been fired by the Morning Sun as a columnist, and the newspaper purged all of Lennox’s columns from its website because of ethical issues. Vialet said he also found reporting that Lennox “has previously come under fire for, among other things, hacking the Wikipedia page of Ingham County Commissioner and well known Democrat political consultant Mark Grebner, calling him a homosexual and child molester. He was successfully sued.”
Vialet characterized Lennox as a political consultant with a “checkered history” whose goal is to manipulate the primary process. “It is so strange that we have never had a representation from the Republican Party but all of a sudden we have a west Michigan operative here in the Virgin Islands manipulating the system, ” he said. “I just need to put that on the record because we can’t stay here and listen to everything and be fooled because the bigger game is the national politics, it has nothing to do with local politics. “When they’re done, they’re going to leave us right here in the Virgin Islands and don’t look back, so we have to be careful, ” Vialet said. Gittens laughed and said some testifiers might not think senators do their homework. “But see how easy it was to find out who individuals are, ” he said.
Gittens also pointed out the irony of Canegata sending Lennox, who has lived in the territory for less than 90 days, to speak on a bill relating to domicile and residency. “How would they understand the system in order to come before us or represent the party?” Gittens said. “However, that’s the representation they sent, the gentleman left and I guess I understand why. But the testimony today was of no substance and nothing to give to us to assist us in our decision anyway.” Later in the hearing during a discussion on the need for medical licensing boards to conduct criminal background checks, Harrigan cited Lennox as an example. “We just saw just today here, someone came right here and assail us to some degree, and then come to find out that individual was not so savory himself, ” Harrigan said."
No comments:
Post a Comment