Fake Communists Booted From Arizona GOP After Donation Stunt

UNITED STATES - JULY 18: Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., is interviewed in his Cannon Building office on July 18, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - JULY 18: Rep. Tom O'Halleran, D-Ariz., is interviewed in his Cannon Building office on July 18, 2017. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
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The Arizona Republican party has cut ties with the two men who posed as communists to try to make a damaging contribution to Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ) just before the midterm election.

An Arizona GOP spokesperson told TPM that one of the men was an employee and has been “terminated.” The other was a volunteer and is “no longer affiliated” with the organization, according to the spokesperson.

As first reported by the Guardian, in a clumsy attempt to tie O’Halleran to communism, the two men arrived at his campaign office on Friday bearing a jar of money and insisting on making a donation with a receipt made out to the Northern Arizona University Communist Party.

Finance director Lindsay Coleman immediately drove the money to the local Republican field office and returned the jar to one of the men involved in the attempted donation.

In a statement, O’Halleran called it a  “bizarre effort” to “embarrass” his campaign.

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