The months-long rift rocking the Republican Party in the Virgin Islands got “The Daily Show” treatment Monday evening, with correspondent Jordan Klepper traveling to the island paradise to delve into the dispute.
The underlying dynamics of the current dispute haven’t changed much. The U.S. Virgin Island GOP is split over which slate of delegates should be sent to July’s National Republican Convention in Cleveland: the delegation led by John Yob, a longtime GOP operative previously based in Michigan; or the selection of alternate delegates pushed forward by the USVI GOP Party Chair John Canegata, who says Yob and his crew are ineligible to serve on the island territory’s delegation.
Both Republicans are featured in the bit and they use the opportunity to lob accusations at each other while Klepper bemoans the fact that reporting on the tiff is keeping him from enjoying what could have been a relaxing tropical vacation. Among other things, Klepper confronts Canegata with a station log of radio ads placed attacking Yob (in the bit, Canegata denies placing the ads, and has continually called the claim he or the party paid for them false). Meanwhile Yob is forced to admit his father sits on the Republican National Committee’s Credentials Committee, which will likely have to settle the stalemate.
Watch the segment:
Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that Canegata denies involement with the anti-Yob radio ads.
