Open Letter to the Libertarian National Committee
April 20, 2025
Dear Members of the Libertarian National Committee,
Every person signing this letter has previously served on the Libertarian National Committee at some point during the last fifty-four years of Libertarian Party History. We know what the role means and what it demands of the people who fill it.
The Libertarian Party has had some bad years lately. They got worse in 2022 when Angela McArdle took over as Chair of the Libertarian National Committee, resulting in diminished performance on all fronts: fewer members, fewer donors, and fewer candidates for public office.
Evidence produced by independent investigations and discovery in derivative lawsuits brought by members of the Libertarian National Committee have revealed shocking self-dealing and violations of fiduciary duties by Angela McArdle.
Under increasing pressure due to her overt support for Donald Trump and MAGA and apparent embezzlement of party funds through the use of a Delaware shell corporation, Angela McArdle resigned as Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. You, the members of the committee, chose Stephen Nekhaila of Florida to replace McArdle in the role of Chair.
This was a good first step toward putting right what McArdle had set wrong, but there needs to be further action taken to restore trust in the membership.
Beth Vest was the first LNC member to bring a derivative suit setting forth Angela McArdle’s violations of her duties under District of Columbia nonprofit law. Caryn Ann Harlos later brought a second derivative suit alleging further violations by McArdle that took place after the 2024 Libertarian National Convention. Both of these lawsuits had to be brought as derivative actions because a majority of LNC members chose to defend Angela McArdle’s behavior instead of holding her accountable.
In retrospect, defending Angela McArdle has proven to be a mistake.
When you make a mistake, it is good to correct it. And the way the Libertarian National Committee can correct that mistake is to settle the existing derivative suit in a way that puts the Libertarian National Committee in the driver’s seat to hold Angela McArdle legally accountable for diverting funds into her own household and diverting resources away from the Libertarian Party toward other organizations.
The best time for the LNC to act to show donors, members, and candidates that you take the duty of oversight seriously would have been when the allegations were first brought to the LNC by Beth Vest. The second best time for the LNC to act is now.
All of the undersigned former LNC members would vote to settle the derivative lawsuits and pursue direct legal action including discovery and restitution against Angela McArdle.
We urge you to do the right thing for the future of the Libertarian Party at this critical time in American history, so the party can move forward with integrity and accountability.
Yours in liberty,
NAME, YEARS OF SERVICE
D. Frank Robinson, 1972-1975
Ruth E. Bennett, 1981-1988
Steven Linnabary, 1985-1989, 1993-1996, 2013-2014
Jim Turney 1985-1988, 1998-2002
Ted Brown, 1987-1989
Joe Hauptmann 1993-1994
Mark Tuniewicz, 1995-2001, 2022-2024
BetteRose Ryan, 1996-2000, 2002-2004
Tim Hagan, 2000-2006, 2012-2022
Lorenzo Gaztañaga, 2000-2003
Thomas Knapp, 2000-2001
Mark W.A. Hinkle, 2000-2012
Steve Trinward, 2002-2004
Geoff Neale, 2002-2004, 2012-2014
Dr. Chuck Moulton, 2004-2008
Wes Benedict, 2006-2008
Doug Craig, 2006-2008, 2010
Patrick Dixon, 2006-2010
Rob Oates, 2008
Jake Porter, 2008-2010
Daniel Wiener, 2010-2016
James R. Oaksun, 2010
Sam Goldstein, 2010-2020
David Blau, 2011-2014
Evan McMahon, 2014-2015
Nicholas J. Sarwark, 2014-2020
Joshua Katz, 2016-2018
Justin ODonnell, 2017-2020
Erin Adams, 2017-2022
John Phillips, 2018-2022
Jeff Lyons, 2018-2019
Alex Merced, 2018-2020
Richard Longstreth, 2018-2022
Susan Hogarth, 2018-2022
David Valente, 2020-2021
Chris Luchini, 2020-2022
Valerie Sarwark, 2020-2022
Laura Ebke, 2020-2022
Jared Hall, 2020-2022
Dustin Blankenship, 2022-2024
Keith Thompson, 2024-2025