Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele has discovered hiding a $7 million debt is a lot harder than he thought it was. With an election coming up, Steele needed his organization to look like it was in tip-top shape. This being far from the case, Steele took a page from the GOP handbook and invented his own reality, telling everyone everything was fine and preventing the data from being filed with the FEC by ordering staff not to communicate with RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen. Pullen eventually discovered the deception and has filed amended reports to reflect it.
This is a new kind of bad for Michael Steele. Unlike the sundry other screwball episodes that have kept his job interesting, this is more than just politically embarrassing. His actions could result in millions of dollars in fines and possible criminal charges. The RNC, whose fundraising power is already under intense scrutiny, could be rendered impotent if forced to pay out a large sum to the government. If anything can rally an adequate number of RNC members against Steele, it will be this. The man isn’t going to leave on his own – not if he can help it. He could use a push.
