John Beckmeyer, who served as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas during most of the tenure of outgoing State Chairman Matt Rinaldi, released a statement yesterday in the wake of a recent e-mail from several members of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) that accused Republican Party of Texas Vice Chair Dana Myers of financial impropriety. In his statement, Beckmeyer described the allegations against Myers as “unfounded” and “a transparent political attack.”
On April 7, six members of the SREC’s Officials Committee sent an e-mail to some members of the SREC alleging that Party Vice Chair Dana Myers had committed “waste and abuse” of Party funds by submitting “unreasonable” expense reimbursements. Shortly after the e-mail was sent, it was leaked to Texas Scorecard Publisher Michael Quinn Sullivan, who posted a copy to Twitter.
As Vice Chair of the Republican Party of Texas, Myers has traveled extensively across the State to visit with various Republican organizations and activists in furtherance of her duties with the Party. The State Chairman and Vice Chair have historically been entitled to travel reimbursements related to Republican Party activities.
Under the SREC’s bylaws, the Officials Committee is tasked with “assum[ing] responsibility for transaction of business necessary between meetings of the SREC,” preparing the Party’s budget annually, and ratifying certain contracts among other duties. The six members of the SREC’s Officials Committee who signed the e-mail making the allegations against Myers were Matt Patrick (SD 16), Deborah Fite (SD 7), Jerry Fisher (SD 2), Gwen Withrow (SD 4), Susan Fountain (SD 16), and John Ker (SD 22).
Myers is currently running for Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, and the SREC members who signed the e-mail are allied with Abraham George, one of her opponents for State Chairman. Rinaldi has endorsed George for State Chairman.
Beckmeyer was hired as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas by Rinaldi in 2021, shortly after Rinaldi was first elected as State Chairman. He served as Executive Director until last year when the City of Odessa hired him to serve as City Manager. Rinaldi also praised Beckmeyer upon his departure from the Party, saying he had “done a spectacular job as Executive Director.” Beckmeyer’s statement reads:
Former RPT Executive Director Statement on Vice Chair Dana Myers
I am compelled to address the recent allegations against Vice Chair Dana Myers with the seriousness and frankness they deserve.
To be clear, the accusations levied against her are unfounded. They are a transparent political attack that serves only to diminish the integrity and unity of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT).
Having worked closely with Dana, I can personally attest to her unwavering dedication, hard work, and honesty. Dana’s efforts to traverse the state and engage with our base were not personal indulgences but essential initiatives aimed at fortifying our party’s foundation. The assertion that these efforts were wasteful misuses of party funds is not only incorrect but intentionally misleading.
To suggest that Dana’s work did not serve the party’s interests is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of her role and the impact of her actions. Every decision Dana made was in pursuit of strengthening the RPT, guided by integrity and a deep commitment to our collective goals. Yet, the narrative being pushed by the SREC unjustly paints her as the scapegoat for broader financial management issues within our party.
This move by some of the SREC is nothing short of a transparent political attack. It is clear that certain individuals are attempting to manipulate this situation to serve their own political agendas, at the expense of our party’s cohesion, public image, and the truth. By focusing on baseless accusations against Dana, the SREC diverts attention from the real issues that require our collective focus and undermines the guiding party principles of liberty that should define us.
The reality is this kind of political infighting only serves to weaken our party. It is disheartening to see some of the SREC engage in such blatant politicking, especially when our focus should be on presenting a united front against our true opponents. Instead of rallying together to support and uplift one another, we are embroiled in internal conflicts that only benefit those looking to exploit our divisions.
I urge the SREC to reconsider the direction of this misguided and damaging campaign against Vice Chair Dana Myers. We must rise above the petty politics that threaten to undermine our party’s integrity and purpose. Let us refocus our energies on the challenges that truly matter to our constituents and the future of the RPT.
In solidarity and with a call for integrity and truth,
John Beckmeyer
Former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas
Other members of the SREC have condemned the attacks against Myers, observing that Rinaldi had approved Myers’ expense reimbursements and that those criticizing Myers could not dispute the validity of any of her expenses.
In a tweet posted earlier this week, Houston-area SREC Committeeman Rolando Garcia noted that all of Myers’ “expenses and mileage and hotel receipts are documented” and were approved by Rinaldi. “There’s no junkets to Vegas or spa treatments or personal vacations (and nobody has ever accused her of this), just the mundane expenses associated with traveling the state speaking to GOP groups and promoting @TexasGOP and its priorities – exactly what you expect from the chair and vice chair,” Garcia tweeted.
Garcia added that Myers has not sought reimbursement for expenses since she announced her candidacy for State Chairman and criticized the e-mail from the six Officials Committee members as “fodder for political smears” by supporters of Abraham George’s campaign for State Chairman. He also remarked that the e-mail was “One of the most despicable stunts I’ve seen in my time on the SREC (and I’ve seen way too much thuggery and bullying by the ruling clique).”
In addition to Myers and George, other candidates for State Chairman include Weston Martinez, Ben Armenta, and Mike Garcia. The election for State Chairman will occur at the Republican Party of Texas State Convention in San Antonio next month.
