Election Complaints Referred to the Albany County District Attorney
The Wyoming Office of Secretary of State has referred documents related to complaints by the Wyoming Republican Party against Laramie-based political groups to the Albany County District Attorney’s office, in order to conduct a formal investigation.
In the letter from the Secretary of State’s office, the Secretary of State wrote that based upon a review of the complaints and supplemental documents, the Attorney General instructed the office to refer the alleged violations to the appropriate county attorneys, the Albany County District Attorney’s office being appropriate since the complaints reside in Albany County.
Albany County District Attorney Peggy Trent said she also received information from the attorney of the political groups in question in a letter dated Feb. 13, providing information that was not included in the documents referred to her office by the Secretary of State.
“My intent now is to review the documents to determine whether my office is the proper jurisdiction for investigation into this matter,” Trent said.
Trent said the Secretary of State’s office did not conduct an investigation into the claims.
“To the best of my knowledge – I still need to go through the documentation, that’s why I’m reviewing it- it does not appear that they conducted an investigation.”
The Wyoming Republican Party filed three complaints on Nov. 1, 2016 with the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office against Laramie-based grassroots organizations Forward Wyoming Advocacy, Women Lead Wyoming, the Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance and ELLA WY, LLC.
The GOP claims the groups represent themselves as separate entities although they were run out of the same office – the Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance, Women Lead Wyoming and Forward Wyoming Advocacy have since moved locations- with some members working for multiple groups.