Lawmakers seek precinct committeeman's ouster

Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., has initiated a letter, also signed by fellow Arizona Reps. John Shadegg and Trent Franks, demanding that the Republican party seek an immediate resignation of a precinct committeeman who had reportedly distributed anti-Semitic literature at a party meeting in January.

The committeeman in question is J.T. Ready, who ran unsuccessfully for the Mesa City Council in 2006 and has been associated with neo-Nazi groups, including the National Socialist Movement.

Ready did not directly answer when asked if he is affiliated with neo-Nazi groups.

"I'm not putting up with it," he said. "They have to call a bunch of names and use emotionally charged words.

"I was exercising my right to free speech," Ready said of the January meeting. "If I was any other race, I'd be considered a great civic leader. I'd be lauded as a great community leader,"

Meanwhile, Ready questioned why three congressmen would attack him as a "lowly precinct committeeman."

"These congressmen are scared to death that I'm bringing out the truth, that these people are pandering to the big bankers and open-borders lobbyists," he said.

Ready was recently featured in an attack mailer, which raised his alleged connection with Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, after the two were photographed together at a rally against illegal immigration at the state Capitol. Pearce is a Republican Senate candidate from District 18 in Mesa. Pearce has repeatedly distanced himself from Ready, saying the photograph was one of many taken at that rally.

The congressmen's letter, addressed to Maricopa County Republican Party chairman Tom Husband, notes that Ready was a featured speaker at the rally against illegal immigration at the state Capitol last year. Two months later, it notes, "he was a featured speaker at a Neo-Nazi conference in Omaha, Nebraska, complete with 'swastika lighting.'" Ready was identified as an Arizona Republican activist at the Nebraska event.

The congressmen, all Republicans, further point out that Ready has attended District 18 meetings and a county Republican Party meeting this year, where he "reportedly distributed racist and anti-Semitic literature."

"Can you imagine bringing your friends and neighbors to meetings where Mr. Ready is an elected official?" the letter states.

Husband acknowledged that anti-Semitic literature was being passed around at a Jan. 19 meeting, but said he was not aware of any of the other references in the letter about Ready.

"We collected material from Ready, which was objectionable and were immediately removed," Husband said.

"(Ready) was informed and advised that that was unacceptable, but since then I haven't been in the same room as Ready."

The party could consider adopting a resolution if there's any credence to the allegations, Husband said, but he also questioned the timing of the letter, given that the precinct committeemen are up for re-election in two weeks in the September primary.

"If this information has been available all this while, and our committee meeting is not scheduled until after the election, are they asking me to call a special election in conflict with the national election?" Husband said.

Republican Party precinct committeemen are elected for a two-year term. Ready's term expires in two weeks. He is not up for re-election this time.

But that's not the point, Flake said Wednesday.

The letter is being sent now, Flake said, because he wasn't aware that Ready is still a precinct committeeman.

Of late, the only reason Ready has been in the news is because of an attack mailer from an independent expenditure committee that denounced Pearce's alleged connections with Ready.

Flake is the brother-in-law of Kevin Gibbons, Pearce's opponent in the Republican primary for the Senate seat. Pearce had considered running against Flake for a congressional seat in 2006.

He has been critical of Flake's efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation, which Pearce labels as amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Flake, meanwhile, cited newspaper articles, blog posts and videos of Ready that he came across recently in connection with the Pearce-Gibbons race as the reason for seeking Ready's ouster from the Republican post.

"I knew (Ready) was at the Capitol, and I knew he was controversial," Flake said. "I had seen some of the articles about him being a neo-Nazi. But I didn't know he was still a precinct committeeman until recently. That's when it struck me that we shouldn't as a party simply let him continue as a precinct committeeman."

Flake said he wants to protect the party's image because it's being viewed by many as being intolerant.

"We're trying to grow the party to attract people as Republicans and these connections are simply hurting us," Flake said.

Flake maintained that his letter has nothing to do with the Gibbons campaign, nor with the attack mailers against Pearce sent by an independent campaign committee led by political consultant Nathan Sproul, a former state Republican Party official.

"I'm not connected in any way, shape or form to that race or fliers, but I share the concern they've expressed at the direction of the party," Flake said.