Gary Thompson Resigns as Virginia GOP Chairman

Gary Thompson pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge yesterday as part of the fallout from the Matricardi wiretapping scandal and resigned shortly thereafter:

In a prepared statement, Thomson said he “was not aware then that what I did was, in fact, technically a misdemeanor.

“I am most upset that my instincts did not prevent this incident,” Thomson added. “Being ‘asleep at the switch,’ however, is no excuse for a leader. As a leader, I must, and will accept responsibility for my own actions.”

In his statement, Thomson said he disclosed his role in the eavesdropping to police on the first day of the investigation, and continued to cooperate throughout the investigation.

Publicly, however, Thomson had previously denied having such knowledge of Matricardi’s actions. Soon after the eavesdropping scandal broke, a Charlottesville television reporter asked Thomson if he had seen a transcript of the calls, and Thomson said he had not.

Thomson was first elected party chairman in January 2001. He is a certified public accountant with the firm of Goodman & Company.

Shawn Smith, the RPV communications director, sent out a series of public statements explaining the circumstances of the resignation, and Ken Hutchinson was very quick to start campaigning and collecting endorsements for Kate Obenshain Griffin, a Northern Virginia GOP activists with deep roots in the party. Other names such as Del. Chris Jones, Del. Kirk Cox, and party treasurer Richard Neel have been mentioned, but nothing has come across my desk in their favor one way or the other. If endorsements mean anything, then Kate Griffin has two very powerful endorsements in AG Kilgore and Senator Allen.

The Virginia GOP will elect a new chairman in September.