Md. House GOP leadership rift breaks into open conflict

The top Republican in the Maryland House of Delegates is facing a leadership fight from the man who only a year ago was his running mate.

In a letter Monday to the Republican caucus, Del. Chris Adams, an Eastern Shore Republican, announced his resignation as minority whip. At the same time, Adams said he will team with Matt Morgan, a St. Mary’s Republican, to seek to wrest the caucus leadership away from his former ally, Del. Jason Buckel, R-Allegany, in the coming session.

Adam’s challenge signals a potential internal power struggle weeks before the start of the 2022 session, when state legislative redistricting will be a major issue.

“At a time when Republicans have the wind at their backs and the prospect of significant success in the coming election cycle, we must be focused and unified behind our ultimate mission,” Adams wrote. “This requires leaders who have their full, undivided and 100% attention to every detail.”

Adams, in a phone interview late Monday, said the letter to the caucus was never meant to be public.

His letter was sent on the same day charges of harassment against Buckel became public — an issue which was a last straw for Adams.

“Any member of the caucus could be leader and whip, truth be told,” said Adams. “It’s whether or not the person who leads has the time, has the focus and pay attention to the details as we go through the day-to-day business.”

Adams said Buckel’s divorce and other issues, including a controversial letter urging western Maryland counties secede from the state, amount to an unneeded and poorly timed set of distractions.

“If there are these sorts of things going on in Jason’s life, it is incumbent on him to stay focused on the personal part,” said Adams. “That’s the part that survives his electoral service in Maryland. That has to be most important.”

Buckel, in a separate interview Monday night, criticized his deputy, calling his actions “an attempted coup” by Adams, whom he described as a “back-bench member of the House of Delegates up until last year who was not my choice or preference to serve as whip.”

“I’m disgusted with Chris Adams,” said Buckel. “I guess Mr. Adams is hungry for attention. Hungry for what he perceives as power.”

The Republican leader said he was upset that Adams did not contact him prior to sending out the letter. The charges, which are expected to be dropped, were an attempt to unduly influence his divorce proceedings.

“I’m essentially the victim of this situation,” said Buckel. 

Republican sources said the charges, which Buckel dismissed Monday as related to his pending divorce, was the last straw for Adams. Those same sources said Adams’ candidacy signals a discontent with Buckel, who has angered some in his caucus — including some Western Maryland Republicans — over a secession letter that called for the state’s western counties to join West Virginia.

“These are all the wrong sorts of things to be talking about,” said Adams.

On Monday, charges filed against Buckel for harassment and harassment via electronic messages began circulating in Annapolis circles.

Buckel acknowledged the charges. The Maryland state trooper who filed them, he said, did so as he was about to be deposed by the delegate’s attorneys as part of Buckel’s divorce from his wife.

Buckel acknowledged knowing the trooper for years, including being in a fantasy sports league.

But days before the scheduled deposition, the trooper filed criminal charges. Buckel in an interview said the trooper “is trying to extort me.”

The delegate, however, acknowledged sending a number of messages over Facebook to the trooper, who he described as someone he knew for decades. He said at the time that those messages stopped in September.

“I freely admit they were of a mean-spirited nature,” said Buckel. “I’m sure I called him derogatory names. I sent him messages indicating my extreme displeasure with him and that he would become my implacable enemy until the day I die and any chance I had to make that clear, I was going to. I freely admit that.”

Buckel declined to release the messages or review them for a reporter. He said he could not remember if he threatened the trooper’s job.

But The Baltimore Sun reported that several messages, some sent as recently as December, did contain such language.

“How afraid of me are you?” one message read. “Don’t ever be around my son again or I will bury you” and “You’ll be lucky to have a job at the grocery store much less a pension by the end of the year. And those close to you? Hahaha.”

Buckel said the passage was taken out of context and merely referred to the upcoming deposition.

That agreement, reached Monday, would see the charges dismissed in return for the delegate promising to not sue the trooper or file a complaint for abusing his police authority, the delegate said.

Buckel denied direct involvement in the controversial secession letter. He said his electronic signature on the letter was used without his knowledge or permission.

The second-term Republican expressed disappointment over the internal turmoil within the caucus which he described as coming from a minority of the 43 members.

“Politics is a disgusting business,” said Buckel. “I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone to get involved in it.”

Buckel said the effort to unseat him may be driven by “people who didn’t get their way who see an opportunity to character assassinate people. It’s disturbing.”

Buckel and Adams were elected House minority leader and whip, respectively, last year after Del. Nic Kipke, R-Anne Arundel, and Del. Kathy Szeliga, R-Baltimore and Harford counties, announced they would step down.

The House caucus elects leaders annually. In most cases the vote is a pro forma matter.

Buckel disputed the need for an election except to replace Adams. Buckel said a decision to run for a third term could come down to whether the caucus keeps him on as minority leader.

“If they don’t, I don’t think I’ll run,” said Buckel.