PROVO — Utah County Republican Party officials dismissed all allegations of misconduct Thursday against state House of Representatives candidate Garr Judd.
Judd, a former legislative district chair for District 61, the same district where he is now running, was accused by party member Richard Jaussi of several violations of party bylaws in a letter sent to party leaders in March.
"After hearing testimony from both sides a unanimous vote by the Executive Committee of the Utah County Republican Party determined that the complaint filed by Mr. Jaussi against Mr. Judd had no merit and appeared to be politically motivated," Utah County Republican Party chair Marian Monnahan said in a statement Thursday.
"There was no evidence of impropriety, lack of integrity or unethical behavior by Mr. Judd. He did not violate any Party Bylaws."
In a brief statement issued Thursday, Judd thanked his supporters for showing confidence in him.
"I am pleased with the findings and appreciate that the Republican leadership unanimously saw the truth," Judd said. "We are glad to put his behind us and hope that the remainder of the campaign will be positive and upbeat for all candidates. When I decided to run it was on principle and values and I will continue to do so."
In a letter dated March 30, attorneys from the law firm Hill, Johnson & Schmutz sent a letter on behalf of Jaussi, outlining the alleged violations of party bylaws. The letter accused Judd of not taking a leave of absence from his position as legislative district chair when he filed to run for office, as he is required to do by party bylaws, and held a party meeting in his home to gain unfair access to party delegates.
The letter said that campaign workers for John Tinsley, one of Judd's opponents in the race, attempted to put out campaign literature from Tinsley at the meeting but was denied.
Jaussi is a former paid staff member of the Tinsley campaign.
The Executive Committee held a hearing on the matter Tuesday night, and in its findings released Thursday, determined that Judd did in fact provide written and oral notice to party leaders that he was taking a leave of absence from his legislative district chair position on March 7, the same day he filed as a candidate.
Attorneys for Jaussi said they were disappointed with the way the meeting was conducted, as there was short notice, it was closed to the public and they were not allowed to speak for their client.
"We were surprised that the Executive Committee gave such limited consideration to such a significant concern," attorney Evan Schmutz said. "It appeared that the contents of the complaint were ignored in favor of the desired outcome."
The committee also determined that although a meeting was held in Judd's home on March 14, its purpose was to train individuals to conduct caucus meetings on March 21, and the meeting was conducted by acting legislative district chair Dean Hawker. Judd allowed the meeting to be held in his home because Hawker's was too small and Tinsley declined to host it, the committee found, but Judd only spoke at the meeting to introduce Tinsley.
Furthermore, the committee said, Tinsley's staff was not allowed to display campaign materials because his opponents in the race, Judd and Keith Grover, had nothing on display. The only materials on display at the meeting, the committee said, were for Senator Orrin Hatch, who was running unopposed at the time.
In its conclusion, the executive committee found Jaussi's claims to be "frivolous and wholly without merit."
"The Executive Commitee . . . agreed that the complaint and the conduct of Mr. Jaussi in broadcasting such unfounded claims through the media appeared to be politically motivated to discredit fellow Republican Garr Judd," the statement said. "The Executive Committee found that Mr. Judd did nothing dishonest, unethical, illegal, or in violation of any Party bylaws."
Jaussi stuck by his claims Thursday, saying he was convinced that "the letter and spirit" of party laws had been violated when Judd hosted the meeting in his home and prevented another candidate from passing out literature.
"In light of such strong evidence as we presented, I cannot feel good about a decision to shirk the Party's responsibility to require its candidates to maintain a high standard of integrity in party politics," he said.
E-mail: jtwitchell@desnews.com