Video Showing Beginning Of Republican Committee Meeting Scuffle Surfaces

ST. CROIX — “It is good to have three new Republicans, three Virgin Islanders to represent us,” John Canegata, chairman of the Virgin Islands Republican Party can be heard saying in a video sent to The Consortium by Mr. Canegata himself. His statement was barely audible over a shouting match that was ongoing during a discordant Territorial Committee meeting held on Saturday at Mr. Canegata’s shooting range here.

Mr. Canegata was announcing the appointment — against the disapproval of committee members who contended that party rules were not followed — of Garfield Doran, Jevon Williams and David Johnson as the new delegates who would represent the local Republican Party in Cleveland, Ohio at the party’s National Convention, which is expected to be contentious if Donald Trump fails to garner the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.

Mr. Canegata had moved to disqualify John P. Yob, Gwen Brady, Warren B. Cole, Erica L. Yob, George Logan and Lindsey Eilon — all of whom won the party’s caucus in March and are uncommitted delegates — claiming that they failed to comply with a party rule; a stance that was challenged by Jim Oliver, a Certification Committee member. And Mr. Canegata’s decision to appoint the new delegates comes even as a Superior Court opinion on a separate matter — whether Mr. Yob met residency requirements — is still pending.

The video does not show Ms. Brady being assaulted, as stated by committee Vice Chairman Herbert Schoenbohm and former Senator and superdelegate Holland Redfield. Instead, the footage starts after an apparent voice vote that was strongly disputed, and shows the situation becoming increasingly contentious when committee members noticed Donald Trump supporter Dennis Lennox — a consultant from Michigan according to his website — recording the proceedings. Multiple committee members objected because Mr. Canegata had said from the beginning that recording would not be allowed. Ms. Brady also warned Mr. Lennox not to record her or other committee members.

Yet Mr. Lennox, who said he was appointed as a “parliamentarian” by Mr. Canegata, then turned his camera in Ms. Brady’s direction, causing an immediately reaction from Ms. Brady, who fiercely pushed away the camera. The video went dead, failing to show what happened next. Mr. Redfield and Mr. Schoenbohm maintain that Ms. Brady was “slammed against the wall,” with Mr. Schoenbohm going a bit further stating that Ms. Brady was also “thrown to the floor because she objected to the gestapo-like tactics of the VI Chairman John Canegata.”

For his part, Mr. Lennox said he’s pursuing legal action against Ms. Brady and said he filed a report with the Virgin Islands Police Department. As of late Monday, however, Ms. Brady had not been arrested.

The Consortium will continue attempts to reach Ms. Brady for comment on the matter.

 

Feature Image: From left to right: Gwen Brady, John Canegata and Dennis Lennox.

 

Correction: April 22, 2016

Dennis Lennox contacted The Consortium to say that he has endorsed Donald Trump, not Ted Cruz. The story has updated to reflect the correct information.

 

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