Dick Armey Brought Armed Guard Into FreedomWorks In Coup Attemp

[Midtowner]

Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), who abruptly resigned as head of Tea Party group FreedomWorks, brought in an assistant with a gun in an apparent coup attempt at the group, according to a report in the Washington Post.

On Sept. 4, the assistant escorted out Matt Kibbe, president and CEO, and Adam Brandon, the senior vice president, accusing them of ethical misconduct. Others were put on administrative leave, but the Washington Post report says that when they started crying, they got their jobs back.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/dick-armey-freedomworks_n_2364986.html?1356539351&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

You read that right, Armey brought an assistant with a gun in to attempt to forcibly remove leadership members at FreedomWorks. This is the sort of mental giant who leads the Tea Party lately. And for walking away? Armey gets $8 million in what was probably donated to FreedomWorks for purposes other than paying off someone who knows where all the bodies are buried.

[okie52]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/dick-armey-freedomworks_n_2364986.html?1356539351&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

You read that right, Armey brought an assistant with a gun in to attempt to forcibly remove leadership members at FreedomWorks. This is the sort of mental giant who leads the Tea Party lately. And for walking away? Armey gets $8 million in what was probably donated to FreedomWorks for purposes other than paying off someone who knows where all the bodies are buried.

An armed coup attempt? LOL. Yet no charges...no arrest....evidently no investigation.

[Midtowner]

An armed coup attempt? LOL. Yet no charges...no arrest....evidently no investigation.

And they paid him $8MM severance.

You don't get $8MM unless you have some pretty strong leverage.

It's funny you'd actually defend this clown.

[okie52]

And they paid him $8MM severance.

You don't get $8MM unless you have some pretty strong leverage.

It's funny you'd actually defend this clown.

I don't care about any of them but what gullibility on your part to think Armey held them at "gun point" to get 8 million.

Objectivity, counselor...objectivity.

[Midtowner]

I don't care about any of them but what gullibility on your part to think Armey held them at "gun point" to get 8 million.

Objectivity, counselor...objectivity.

It doesn't say he did that. He had an assistant who had a gun--it's likely that assistant wasn't the only person open carrying in the office considering the reputation of this group. It doesn't even say that force was used or threatened. The fact is though, he managed to oust the CEO and Senior VP for a time until they agreed to pay Armey $8MM to go away.

That's a hell of a severance package for a not-for-profit.

[yermom]

looking over their site, there seems to be two entities, a corporation and a foundation

https://secure.freedomworks.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=donation

[pphilfran]

Armey of One

[okie52]

It doesn't say he did that. He had an assistant who had a gun--it's likely that assistant wasn't the only person open carrying in the office considering the reputation of this group. It doesn't even say that force was used or threatened. The fact is though, he managed to oust the CEO and Senior VP for a time until they agreed to pay Armey $8MM to go away.

That's a hell of a severance package for a not-for-profit.

And huff post made it appear they were thrown out under an armed "coup"...otherwise what was the point of the "armed assistant"?

His assistant could have been a body guard like many celebrities have.

They may have paid Armey off but it sure wasn't because his assistant had a gun.

[Midtowner]

And huff post made it appear they were thrown out under an armed "coup"...otherwise what was the point of the "armed assistant"?

His assistant could have been a body guard like many celebrities have.

They may have paid Armey off but it sure wasn't because his assistant had a gun.

That was never even implied. They paid him off because I'm sure as he has in the past, his organization had some less-than ethical practices and $400K per year for 20 years buys his silence.

[pphilfran]

"I want that eight million dollar severance. My partners Smith and Wesson, or is it Heckler and Koch today? Doesn't matter, they can each be effective in reaching one's goals."

[okie52]

That was never even implied. They paid him off because I'm sure as he has in the past, his organization had some less-than ethical practices and $400K per year for 20 years buys his silence.

Never implied?

You're right counselor...that was your implication and Huff posts that it was just an armed "coup" on Armey's part.


You read that right, Armey brought an assistant with a gun in to attempt to forcibly remove leadership members at FreedomWorks.

The $8,000,000 was just hush money.

[okie52]

"I want that eight million dollar severance. My partners Smith and Wesson, or is it Heckler and Koch today? Doesn't matter, they can each be effective in reaching one's goals."

Don't **** with Dick Armey...he'll kill you.

[SicEmBaylor]

I'm long-time friends with a bigwig at FreedomWorks. I'll have to ask about this....possibly.

[okie52]

I'm long-time friends with a bigwig at FreedomWorks. I'll have to ask about this....possibly.

I'd like to get on the "hush money" list. Would you ask him if I need a gun?

[sappstuf]

Never implied?

You're right counselor...that was your implication and Huff posts that it was just an armed "coup" on Armey's part.



The $8,000,000 was just hush money.

Never implied after the initial implication....

[okie52]

Never implied after the initial implication....

Well, oh... okay then.

[OU_Sooners75]

Wow, midtowner is swimming with one arm. His rutter is broken and can't steer.

In otherwords, way to spin and spin midtowner.


Glad you think we're dumb and can't read between the lines of your comments.


I'm really starting to think that you've made up an internet life where you're an attorney.

Because if you really are an attorney, they must have needed to meet a quota for the mentally challenged.

[Midtowner]

Never implied?

You're right counselor...that was your implication and Huff posts that it was just an armed "coup" on Armey's part.


Many coups are bloodless. Why do you think Armey would have brought an armed guard in the first place if not to convey the possibility of force?

[OU_Sooners75]

But midtoker, you said you weren't implying he brought the guy for force.


Hmmmm which is it letard?

[Midtowner]

But midtoker, you said you weren't implying he brought the guy for force.


Hmmmm which is it letard?

So you're defending this guy?

And you've resorted (again) to childish name calling. Good on you. Very mature.

You're going to just have to read everything which has been written and stop jumping to stupid *** conclusions.

[okie52]

Many coups are bloodless. Why do you think Armey would have brought an armed guard in the first place if not to convey the possibility of force?

This gets funnier by the minute...so now its a bloodless "coup" that occurred through armed intimidation. LOL.

So you think ole Dick thought he was taking over a foreign country and an armed "bloodless coup" would hold up in a court.

http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af24/okie54/Laughing_Hyena_Cartoon.gif

Keep diggin' there counselor, that hole ain't deep enough.

[Midtowner]

This gets funnier by the minute...so now its a bloodless "coup" that occurred through intimidation. LOL.

So you think ole Dick thought he was taking over a foreign country and an armed "bloodless coup" would hold up in a court.

http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af24/okie54/Laughing_Hyena_Cartoon.gif

Keep diggin' there counselor, that hole ain't deep enough.

He ended up with $8MM and he did attempt to take over the organization, so it wasn't for naught, was it?

[okie52]

He ended up with $8MM and he did attempt to take over the organization, so it wasn't for naught, was it?

It appears you weren't even close on your assumptions...nor was Huff post-

From the Washington Post


Dick Armey quits FreedomWorks

Posted by Rachel Weiner on December 3, 2012 at 8:36 pm

Former congressman Dick Armey has quit FreedomWorks, the conservative group he helped bring to national tea party prominence.
Armey confirms that he wrote a letter to FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe on Nov. 30, resigning from the group, as first reported by Mother Jones. He told the Post that he does not know who leaked his resignation letter.
“We accepted his letter of resignation and we wish him well,” FreedomWorks press secretary Jackie Bodnar said.
Max Pappas, the group’s former vice president for public policy and government affairs, has also left, along with campaign director Brendan Steinhauser, who traveled the country training activists for the group.
“As I resign from all board positions and duties, please see below a list of dispositions on outstanding issues: I expect to be fully compensated through the expiration date (December 31, 2012) of my current consulting contract with FreedomWorks,” he wrote. “Henceforth FreedomWorks shall be prohibited from using my name, image, or signature in any way or for any purpose without my written permission or in the event of my death, without my heirs written permission.”
He asked for his name, image, and signature to be removed from all FreedomWorks materials — “letters, print media, postings, web sites, videos, testimonials, endorsements, fund raising materials, and social media.”
Armey’s annual salary – from FreedomWorks Inc., a “social welfare” 501(c)(4), and the FreedomWorks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable institution — was $500,000 in 2010. According to the AP, Armey’s agreed to resign with $8 million in consulting fees, paid in annual $400,000 installments by FreedomWorks donor and board member Richard Stephenson.
Armey also barred the group from using ”Hitting the Ground Running,” a guide he wrote for House freshmen.

A former House majority leader who represented Texas from 1985 to 2003, Armey started his post-congressional career at the anti-regulation Citizens for a Sound Economy. When the Koch-backed group split in 2004, he took over FreedomWorks. (The other offshoot is Americans for Prosperity, which David Koch continued to lead.)
In 2009, FreedomWorks rode the tea party wave to national clout, building a grassroots network to train conservative activists around the country. That same year the group cost Armey his other job at the law and lobbying firm DLA Piper. FreedomWorks’ activism against Democratic health-care reform pitted the group against DLA Piper’s drug industry clients, who backed the legislation.
Some tea party activists questioned Armey’s role in the movement, given his establishment origins. But the group amassed a membership in the hundreds of thousands and worked carefully to avoid the perception that Washington bureaucrats were calling the shots. FreedomWorks helped unseat Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) in a 2010 primary convention. Months later, they helped Republicans take back the House.
After that election, Armey used the group to pressure new members of Congress and state legislators around the country to stick to conservative principles. Initially resistant to Mitt Romney’s presidential bid, the group softened toward the eventual Republican nominee in April.* The group’s affiliated super PAC, FreedomWorks for America spent $19 million in 2012. About a quarter of that money went to winning candidates, according to the Sunlight Foundation — a decent return on investment compared to other conservative outside groups.
An attempted repeat of the 2010 victory in Utah was unsuccessful, as FreedomWorks failed to unseat Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) in 2012 despite a heavy investment in the race. The veteran senator’s campaign effectively demonized FreedomWorks as an out-of-state interloper.
But the group backed two winning upstarts in 2012 — Ted Cruz, who defeated Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a primary runoff and went on to win a Senate seat, and Richard Mourdock, who took down Sen. Dick Lugar in a primary but lost the general election.
In recent months, the group has pushed reporters to speak with Kibbe — an economist from the libertarian wing of the GOP — over Armey. According to Politico, Armey was concerned that the organization was being used to enrich Kibbe through promotion of his recent book, “Hostile Takeover: Resisting Centralized Government’s Stranglehold on America.”
“The top management team of FreedomWorks was taking a direction I thought was unproductive, and I thought it was time to move on with my life,” Armey told Mother Jones. “At this point, I don’t want to get into the details. I just want to go on with my life.”
* FreedomWorks never officially endorsed Romney; this post has been corrected.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/12/03/dick-armey-quits-freedomworks/


Here is Armey's November 30 memo to Kibbe:

November 30, 2012
To: Matt Kibbe, President, FreedomWorks Inc.
From: Honorable Richard K. Armey
Regarding: Resignation

This is to inform you that as of 5:00 P.M. ET on November 30, 2012 I resign my position of Trustee at FreedomWorks, Inc. and my positions of Chairman of FreedomWorks and FreedomWorks Foundation.

As I resign from all board positions and duties, please see below a list of dispositions on outstanding issues: I expect to be fully compensated through the expiration date (December 31, 2012) of my current consulting contract with FreedomWorks. Henceforth FreedomWorks shall be prohibited from using my name, image, or signature in any way or for any purpose without my written permission or in the event of my death, without my heirs written permission.

Effective immediately I expect that Freedom Works shall remove my name, image, and signature from all its letters, print media, postings, web sites, videos, testimonials, endorsements, fund raising materials, and social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter. I expect to receive via email at [redacted] by the close of business, December 4, 2012, all user names, passwords, security questions, and security answers for all accounts, web sites and social media, including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter, created in my name.

Effective immediately FreedomWorks is prohibited from using my booklet or any updated versions of my booklet "Hitting the Ground Running" without my written permission which I innovated while still in congress and trusted to Max Pappas to update for new member orientation. I request that FreedomWorks deliver the copy of my official congressional portrait to my home in Texas.

UPDATE: More details emerged on Monday about Dick Armey's departure from FreedomWorks. The Associated Press obtained a contract dated September 24 indicating that Armey will make $8 million in consulting fees in exchange for leaving the organization. In an email to Mother Jones, Armey confirmed the $8 million deal, and said the contract was between him and FreedomWorks board member Richard Stephenson.

A handful of key FreedomWorks officials said Monday that they, too, were leaving the organization. According to Roll Call, Max Pappas, the former vice president for public policy and government affairs, and campaigns director Brendan Steinhauser are both quitting the group. Two staffers who worked with Steinhauser have also departed.

FreedomWorks president and CEO Matt Kibbe and several of the group's board members have not returned calls for comment.


http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/dick-armey-resigns-freedomworks-tea-party

There was no coup there counselor...Armey was already the Chairman and the rest of his contract was paid off by a major donor and freedom works. Conspicuously absent from the article are any reports of the armed assistant or his escorting Kibbe from the building in September....long before Armey resigned as Chairman.

[OU_Sooners75]

Opps.

[rock on sooner]

It appears you weren't even close on your assumptions...nor was Huff post-

From the Washington Post



http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/12/03/dick-armey-quits-freedomworks/



http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/dick-armey-resigns-freedomworks-tea-party

There was no coup there counselor...Armey was already the Chairman and the rest of his contract was paid off by a major donor and freedom works. Conspicuously absent from the article are any reports of the armed assistant or his escorting Kibbe from the building in September....long before Armey resigned as Chairman.

Never ceases to amaze that whatever the organization, Pub or Dem,
that shakeups ALWAYS are handled by major donors. So much $$$,
going to the wrong places, every FREAKIN' time...Wounded Warriors,
ASPCA, homeless, USO, so many medical issues....etc, etc.

[rock on sooner]

Oh, one other thing, anybody here can't make it on $400000/yr
for the next 20 years? Dint think so..

[okie52]

Oh, one other thing, anybody here can't make it on $400000/yr
for the next 20 years? Dint think so..

My wife would struggle with it. Doesn't really seem to matter how much it is she would struggle with it.

[OU_Sooners75]

So you're defending this guy?

And you've resorted (again) to childish name calling. Good on you. Very mature.

You're going to just have to read everything which has been written and stop jumping to stupid *** conclusions.

Its simple really kiddo. You made a thread saying the guy forcefully took over a position he already held...lol

You are the idiot that made this post and danced and spun your way around it like a top.

As far as this Dick Armey character, I'm not defending him. I'm making fun of your stupidity!

[Midtowner]

Its simple really kiddo. You made a thread saying the guy forcefully took over a position he already held...lol

You are the idiot that made this post and danced and spun your way around it like a top.

As far as this Dick Armey character, I'm not defending him. I'm making fun of your stupidity!


UPDATE [5:59 p.m. ET]: In an interview with Mother Jones, Armey played down the severity of the incident and identified the man with the gun. Armey said that the gun-toting man was Beau Singleton, a former Capitol Hill police officer.

David Corn, reporting for MJ, writes that Singleton "used to be part of Armey's congressional security detail" and "has volunteered his security services to Armey and FreedomWorks for years." Armey explained that Singleton "was well-known to the people at FreedomWorks."

Armey claims to have been "unaware" that Singleton had a gun at the meeting. "[Singleton] kept it under his coat in the back....But the news looks like Armey came in there like John Dillinger, all guns a-blazing. That was false," explained the former FreedomWorks chairman.


UPDATE [5:59 p.m. ET]: In an interview with Mother Jones, Armey played down the severity of the incident and identified the man with the gun. Armey said that the gun-toting man was Beau Singleton, a former Capitol Hill police officer.

David Corn, reporting for MJ, writes that Singleton "used to be part of Armey's congressional security detail" and "has volunteered his security services to Armey and FreedomWorks for years." Armey explained that Singleton "was well-known to the people at FreedomWorks."

Armey claims to have been "unaware" that Singleton had a gun at the meeting. "[Singleton] kept it under his coat in the back....But the news looks like Armey came in there like John Dillinger, all guns a-blazing. That was false," explained the former FreedomWorks chairman.

All I know is what I read in the newspapers. The Washington Post (a pretty good source) says Armey had these guys escorted out by an armed guard. Then Armey gets $8MM in "severance pay." It paints a wonderful picture of how the Tea Party movement is falling apart.

If you have to call names to make your point, it really doesn't help.

And I'll take "anonymous source" reports from the Washington Times over a liar like Dick Armey or the propagandists at Freedomworks any day.

[Soonerjeepman]

but you didn't say...oops I was wrong...did ya? at least when I screwed up a while back I did.

You did EXACTLY what you and the other libs accuse us "righties" doing all the time..face it, ya screwed up big time.

[okie52]

All I know is what I read in the newspapers. The Washington Post (a pretty good source) says Armey had these guys escorted out by an armed guard. Then Armey gets $8MM in "severance pay." It paints a wonderful picture of how the Tea Party movement is falling apart.

If you have to call names to make your point, it really doesn't help.

And I'll take "anonymous source" reports from the Washington Times over a liar like Dick Armey or the propagandists at Freedomworks any day.

Washington times or Washington post?

Still think it was a coup there counselor? I'm not surprised you'd take an anonymous source to the Washington Times over Armey's word on the matter in spite of no corroboration from the "victims" nor Armey, no charges, no arrest, no investigation on what would clearly be a criminal matter. and then there's that whole "bloodless coup" by Armey to secure a position he already possessed.

Objectivity counselor...objectivity.

[sappstuf]

All I know is what I read in the newspapers. The Washington Post (a pretty good source) says Armey had these guys escorted out by an armed guard. Then Armey gets $8MM in "severance pay." It paints a wonderful picture of how the Tea Party movement is falling apart.

If you have to call names to make your point, it really doesn't help.

And I'll take "anonymous source" reports from the Washington Times over a liar like Dick Armey or the propagandists at Freedomworks any day.

There is no doubt that you have created a wonderful picture in your head. However, like a 2-year old fingerpainting, it is subject to gross distortions and is not based in reality.