(EXCLUSIVE) Louie Gohmert Responds to RNC, NRSC Statements About His Donor Charge

Yesterday, we published the transcript from a 20-minute phone interview I conducted with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on the topic of his newly created GOHConservative PAC. Gohmert described the PAC as a means for providing support to “conservatives who [GOP] leadership was not going to help.”

During the interview, Gohmert made a disturbing claim about current GOP leadership. The claim drew responses later in the day from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senate Committee. Said Gohmert:

I’ve had people tell me that Republican donors to Senate members have had people call them, tell them “don’t help this Republican or that Republican because the party doesn’t like what they stand for.” Are you kidding me? And then they bash the Tea Party people, and say they’re the problem?

To be clear, Gohmert is claiming that the GOP privately contacted specific donors and told those donors to withhold money from conservative/Tea Party candidates.

Raffi Williams, deputy press secretary for the RNC, responded by email to Gohmert’s claim:

The RNC is actively working to build a better, stronger Party that can win elections in 2014 and beyond. The Tea Party has been and will continue to be an indispensible part of getting more conservatives elected to office.

Also, NRSC Press Secretary Brook Hougesen emailed the following statement:

We really don’t know what Congressman Gohmert is referring to. The conservative grassroots movement and the tea party brings energy, enthusiasm, and a commitment to defend liberty that is essential in building a Republican Senate majority.

On Monday evening, Gohmert emailed me this exclusive statement in response to the RNC and NRSC:

It’s a bit concerning that the RNC and the NRSC leadership don’t acknowledge or aren’t aware of efforts to undermine grassroots and Tea Party candidates. It is critical that establishment Republicans understand that they cannot keep alienating independent minded but caring Americans who want a choice in an election and not a Democrat-lite. As a result, last election, too many conservatives simply stayed home.