Russell Andrews

Findings Overview

Russell Andrews has served as Secretary of the Colorado Republican Party since at least June 2025. As Secretary, he controls the party's official distribution lists (the “Red Book”), meeting notices, records, and credentialing processes.

This document presents the investigative findings on Andrews' conduct in office, his coordination with former Chairman Dave Williams, and his role in the campaign to remove current Chair Brita Horn. The investigation is based on a forensic export of 2,355 emails from Andrews' official Google Workspace account, Google Workspace audit logs, and court filings.

Context

Former COGOP Chairman Dave Williams (March 2023 – March 2025) faced a removal vote in July 2024 over allegations including misuse of party funds for his personal congressional campaign. The vote was judicially invalidated: Judge Eric Bentley ruled that the COGOP bylaws require three-fifths of the entire CRC membership, not three-fifths of those present, and the vote fell short of that threshold (Case 2024CV31638). Williams did not seek re-election at the March 29, 2025 biennial reorganization, where Brita Horn was elected as his successor. On July 1, 2025, Williams accepted a federal appointment as Senior Advisor at the International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce — a Trump administration political appointment.

Despite holding no current party office and serving as a federal appointee, Williams is documented below directing operations within the state party through the current Secretary. A faction of officers and operatives has pursued the removal of Chair Horn through a no-confidence petition, recall efforts, and an anonymous opposition newsletter (Restore REAL Colorado, operated by Williams' former secretary Anna Ferguson). Andrews, as the party's Secretary — a role the bylaws define as chief clerical officer and recorder of proceedings (Art V §B.3) — is documented below acting as an active participant in the removal campaign, coordinating directly with Williams, and making financial claims against the party from his position.

Key Findings

• Editorial pipeline: A documented editorial process with an outside associate (Evan Morris) who provided inline strategic messaging direction on official communications. Morris annotated Andrews' raw drafts with instructions like “tone down the rhetoric” and “you sound like a pussy here.” Raw drafts, editorial replies, and intermediate versions were deleted; only the final version was retained.
• Email deletion: 86% of emails involving former Chairman Williams — now a federal appointee (Senior Advisor, ITA, Dept. of Commerce) — were deleted from Andrews' official account before forensic export.
• Use of office: Andrews used his official Secretary email and the party's Red Book distribution list to campaign against the Chair, urge a no-confidence vote, and promote a recall petition. At the February 21 SCC meeting, he presided as Chairman Pro Tem while seconding a motion to demand Horn's resignation, delivering an approximately six-minute speech against her (exceeding the 2-minute limit), and endorsing the recall petition from the chair. The parliamentarian refused to return the gavel after Andrews entered debate. At the March 2 continuation, Andrews was absent from the meeting record while Secretary duties were performed by others.
• Replacement plan: Andrews, Vice Chair Holtorf, and faction allies recruited a replacement candidate for Chair before the no-confidence vote occurred. The vote, held March 2, resulted in 241 no-confidence / 63 confidence (79.3% against Horn), but carries no binding legal effect.
• PII exposure: Andrews forwarded party officer personal contact information — names, addresses, phone numbers for legislators, county chairs, district attorneys, and bonus members statewide — to an outside associate (Evan Morris, Vice-Chairman of Garfield County GOP, who holds no statewide role authorizing access to all-county data).
• Financial leverage: Andrews billed the party $1,500/month for storage of party supplies in his barn and threatened to auction them. He conditioned his own resignation on $10–12K in expense reimbursement. His total expense claim reached approximately $9,000, including a $400-per-night room line item.

The Three-Version Pipeline

On January 22, 2026, Andrews sent three versions of the same letter within 87 minutes from his official russ@cologop.org account. The progression reveals a coordinated editorial process with Evan Morris (Vice-Chairman, Garfield County GOP; also an outside associate paid at Andrews’ private firm rate) to clean official party communications before distribution.

Version 1: The Raw Draft

At 9:14 AM, Andrews sent an email to Evan Morris with the subject line “Fucking Brita!” The email, sent from his official Secretary account, contained the unedited version of a letter to Chair Horn.

Morris’s Editorial Direction

At 9:31 AM—17 minutes after receiving the raw draft—Morris replied with Andrews' full letter annotated with inline editorial comments. Morris returned the draft with strategic messaging advice embedded between paragraphs:

Version 2: The Cleaned Draft

At 10:01 AM—30 minutes after Morris's edits—Andrews sent a second version to Ray Garcia (Garfield County chair), Richard Holtorf, and Evan Morris. The subject line acknowledged the editorial assistance: “A cleaned up version of my missive to Brita (THANKS EVAN)!”

The content incorporated Morris's direction: spelling corrections (“parlimaentarian” → “parliamentarian”), softer phrasing (“you are rarely the brightest” removed), and the resignation threat rewritten per Morris's instruction.

Version 3: The Sent Version

At 10:41 AM—40 minutes after Version 2—Andrews sent the final, “severely cleaned-up” version to the same recipients. This version, the only one not deleted, removed all profanity, personal attacks, and direct threats. The threat to initiate a petition drive was removed entirely.

Williams Coordination & Email Deletion Patterns

Dave Williams served as COGOP Chairman from March 2023 to March 2025. A removal vote in July 2024 was judicially invalidated (Case 2024CV31638); his term ended at the biennial reorganization on March 29, 2025, where he did not seek re-election. Since July 1, 2025, Williams has served as Senior Advisor at the International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce — a Trump administration political appointment.

The forensic email export documented communication between Andrews and Williams beginning in November 2025 — eight months after Williams left office and four months after Williams began his federal appointment. Of emails in Andrews' account involving Williams, 86% had been deleted by the account holder at the time of export.

November 2025: The Faction Meeting

On November 16, 2025, Williams emailed Andrews directly at russ@cologop.org inviting him to an opposition faction meeting the following day. The invitation went to Andrews, Holtorf, Rich Wyatt, Chuck Bonniwell, and Christy Fidura. Andrews starred the email and marked it IMPORTANT.

Chair Horn issued an explicit directive that same day: “We, the Colorado Republican Party will not be attending the 5:00 PM meeting this evening that was scheduled by Mr. Dave Williams.” She also stripped Holtorf of negotiating authority: “you are without authority to make or receive any negotiations, offers or agreements on behalf of the party.”

On November 18, Holtorf reported to the full leadership team (including Andrews) that he had attended the meeting “as an individual citizen” with Williams, Rich Wyatt, Chuck Bonniwell, and Anna Ferguson. Holtorf disclosed: “There is a growing movement against us as a leadership team and this problem is not going away until the underlying issues are addressed.” Andrews received this email and was thus aware of the opposition faction’s membership, agenda, and Holtorf’s defiance of the Chair’s directive.

Direct Communication

On February 4, 2026, Andrews forwarded an official email bounce notification (a Delivery Status Notification from Google) to Williams at his personal Gmail address (RepDaveWilliams@gmail.com). The bounce had originally been sent to Anna Ferguson (AFerg121@comcast.net) — Williams' former secretary, who now operates the anonymous Restore REAL Colorado newsletter (WHOIS: grassrootsconnect.us → afergie121@proton.me). Andrews deleted this email.

Williams Directing Operations

On February 8, 2026, Williams responded to questions about Andrews' proxy procedures for the SCC meeting. Williams — who held no current party office and was serving as a federal appointee — answered on Andrews' behalf regarding official party business. Separately, in a coordination email to Jason Ensz (Saguache County Chair), with Andrews and Anna Ferguson CC'd, Williams wrote that Ferguson had created the petition form at his direction: “Anna put the question of removal on the form for you.” These emails were deleted from Andrews' account.

“Airing Dirty Laundry in Public”

On February 11, 2026, Andrews authored a mass email to the SCC declaring his break with Chair Horn. The distribution followed his established editorial pipeline:

• 12:59 PM: First version sent to Evan Morris and one other contact. Subject: “AIRING DIRTY LAUNDRY IN PUBLIC.” Andrews disclosed his “break with Brita,” named the “Branch Davidians” as allies, and detailed a November 19 congressional pressure call organized by Jeff Crank. DELETED
• Same day: Forwarded version distributed to broader audience. DELETED
• Same day: Mass BCC version distributed to SCC membership. DELETED
• Feb 12: Replies received (including a supportive reply from SCC member Kassidy). Andrews continued the thread, then deleted all versions. A draft follow-up was found in the account, unsent. DELETED

Eight files in the forensic export document this chain. All were deleted from the account by the account holder. The email became court Exhibit H in Case 2025CV30292.

Restore REAL Colorado Amplification

Andrews forwarded content from Restore REAL Colorado (RRC) to multiple recipients including congressional staff (nick.bayer@mail.house.gov), journalist Ernest Luning, Arapahoe County Chair John Temple, and Richard Holtorf. RRC is operated by Anna Ferguson, Williams' former secretary (WHOIS: grassrootsconnect.us registered to afergie121@proton.me, Ferguson's Proton Mail address, Westminster, CO). When RRC published about the Garcia lawsuit, Andrews replied: “GREAT. This asshole is going to lose 6-8 teeth.”

Teller County Cease-and-Desist

On February 13, 2026, Teller County Republican Central Committee Secretary Erik Stone sent a formal rebuke to Andrews, signed by four county officers (Kellie Case, Chair; Mark Harter, Vice-Chair; Erik Stone, Secretary; Ross Parnow, Treasurer). Stone wrote: “Your email to the Central Committee is inappropriate, poorly timed and suggests that you, the former Vice Chair, and the ‘Davidians’ (your words) should choose leadership for the State Republican party.” He added: “Today, you sent an unauthorized call, violating multiple bylaws. You have no authority, as Secretary, to call a special meeting. End of story.” The committee demanded Andrews “cease and desist from this effort” or resign.

Andrews replied from his official account at 10:19 PM:

ProtonVPN Login Anomaly

On February 7, 2026 at 4:19 PM MST, Andrews' official account was accessed from IP address 205.147.22.13 — a Proton AG exit node in Miami (ASN 208172). Google flagged the login as suspicious; Andrews passed a device prompt challenge. One minute later, at 4:20 PM, the Red Book was forwarded to aferg121@aol.com — an outdated Williams-era address for Anna Ferguson (the email bounced). This was the only VPN-routed login in 28 recorded sessions over 6 months. Andrews' other logins originate from his Carbondale, CO residential ISP. Source: EX-004 (login audit)

Use of Office Against the Chair

Andrews used his Secretary position to facilitate the no-confidence petition process, send official communications supporting removal, coordinate with the opposition faction, and recruit a replacement candidate—while holding the Secretary office, whose bylaws duties include performing “such other duties as the Chairman may prescribe” (Art V §B.3f).

Facilitating the Petition

Andrews sent the official SCC meeting notice for the February 21 special meeting called on Ray Garcia's no-confidence petition. On February 15, he sent a follow-up confirming “the special meeting for Mr. Ray Garcia's petition will proceed as noticed on February 21,” adding procedural urgency arguments for why it should not be postponed.

The Replacement Plan

In a deleted email to Heidi Ganahl on February 16, Andrews disclosed that he, Richard Holtorf, and the “Davidian” faction had recruited Danielle Jurinsky to replace Horn as chair. The email revealed this plan was in motion before the no-confidence vote had taken place.

The February 21 SCC Meeting

At the February 21 SCC Special Meeting—called on Ray Garcia's no-confidence petition—Andrews presided as Chairman Pro Tem and served as the meeting's acting chair. The meeting transcript documents 40 discrete Andrews actions. Key actions from the chair:

• Appointed committee chairs and the parliamentarian (Jeremy Goodall). Declared quorum. Recognized approximately 40 speakers.
• Read all three petition items into the record (budget suspension, cease legal action, no-confidence).
• Seconded the motion to amend the no-confidence question to call for the immediate resignation of the chairwoman. Self-identified for the record: “Well, if I'm allowed to second it, then I do second it. That being me, Russ Andrews.”
• Transferred the gavel to parliamentarian Goodall so he could speak as a member, then delivered an approximately six-minute prepared speech against Chair Horn (other speakers were limited to 2 minutes). Key disclosures in the speech: $10,000 in personal expense claims, $141,000 owed to Horn's attorney, endorsement of the recall petition, characterization of Horn as “incompetent” and “a liar.”
• After the speech, Andrews asked for the gavel back. Goodall declined: “Since you've taken the time to debate, it's actually more appropriate for me to conduct business from this point on.” The parliamentarian overruled the presiding officer's attempt to resume the chair after entering debate.
• Made a petition validity ruling that overrode the Executive Committee's determination, enabling the meeting to proceed on Garcia's petition.
• Endorsed the recall petition from the chair on two separate occasions, naming the circulator (Jason Ensz) and urging signatures.
• Publicly declared his vote on the budget suspension: “By the way, my vote is yes.”
• After adjournment, conducted political strategy discussion on the still-live YouTube stream, urging members to attend Horn's March 2 meeting to replicate the votes and avoid legal challenges.

The no-confidence vote was taken at the February 21 meeting: 198 yes (no confidence) / 9 no / 14 abstain, from 221 votes cast of 498 eligible members. The motion passed among those present (90%) but carries no binding legal effect. A formal removal vote was not attempted—it would have required 302 votes (three-fifths of the full CRC under Art. VII §D.3), which was unreachable with 246 credentialed attendees. The meeting was adjourned and continued on March 2. Source: EX-012 (full_transcript.txt, 2,997 lines); EX-007 (vote_result_20260221.md)

The March 2 CRC Special Meeting

At the March 2 continuation, Andrews is absent from the meeting record. The 90-minute transcript of 341 credentialed members contains zero references to “Andrews,” “Russell,” “Russ,” or “Secretary” (in the officer context). All Secretary functions were performed by others: credentials by Adrian (committee chair), results distribution by Alec Hanna (vice chair), motions read by Chair Horn and presiding officer Christy Fidura. Multiple members reported not receiving an agenda—a core Secretary responsibility.

The no-confidence question was put to a vote. The question as presented: “Does the membership of the CRC have confidence in the continued leadership of Brita Horn?”

The presiding chair stated: “There being a majority in the negative, the motion is lost. The membership of the CRC has not expressed confidence in the continued leadership of Chairwoman Horn.” Andrews voted no (no confidence in Horn). The no-confidence vote carries no binding legal effect under the bylaws—a fact Andrews himself acknowledged in his email to Ganahl (EX-A06): “The no-confidence vote is a test vote to determine if we should go through with a recall.”

Mass Campaign Email to Entire SCC

On March 1, 2026, Andrews used his official russ@cologop.org account and the Red Book distribution list to send a mass email to the entire State Central Committee with the subject line “Brita's Unbalanced Narcissism and Reminder for Zoom Mtg Mon., March 2nd.” The email urged SCC members to vote no-confidence and sign a recall petition.

Tennant Condemnation

SCC Bonus Member Natalee Tennant (Weld County) responded to Andrews' mass email with a formal condemnation distributed to the committee.

Abandoning the Auditable Channel

In the postscript of his March 1 mass email to the entire SCC (EX-A10), Andrews instructed all 400+ State Central Committee members to stop using his official party email and instead contact him at his personal Gmail account (rssndrws3@gmail.com). His stated reason: “Ms. Horn has hired a cybersecurity firm to troll through my emails.”

The “cybersecurity firm” was a forensic examiner engaged by the party’s Executive Director after the party attorney recommended preserving the Secretary’s email record. The examination was authorized by party leadership in response to concerns about unauthorized data sharing—concerns that the forensic export subsequently confirmed (Sections 2, 3, and 5 of this report).

Under Art. V §B.3a of the COGOP Bylaws, the Secretary is the party’s chief clerical officer, responsible for recording all CRC and Executive Committee proceedings. Under Art. V §B.1c, the Chairman is custodian of all party records—the Secretary records and files; the Chairman owns. By directing SCC members to route official Secretary business through a personal account outside the party’s Google Workspace, Andrews removed that business from the party’s custody, audit capability, and security controls.

The practical consequences of this redirect:

• Records loss: Official party business conducted through a personal Gmail account is not preserved in party systems. The Secretary’s own bylaws duty—recording proceedings—cannot be fulfilled if the proceedings occur outside the party’s infrastructure.
• Audit defeat: The party loses visibility into whether the Secretary is sharing member data with unauthorized parties, coordinating with outside actors, or conducting other activity inconsistent with his duties. This is the same audit capability that detected the Williams coordination, the PII forwarding, and the editorial pipeline documented in this report.
• Security blind spot: The party’s Google Workspace is monitored for unauthorized access—including activity from four Williams-era OAuth clients that were never revoked after the March 2025 transition (see main briefing). Communications routed through a personal account bypass these security controls entirely.

The redirect occurred on March 1, 2026. By that date, Andrews had already deleted 86% of Williams-related emails from his official account (Section 3), forwarded statewide party officer PII to an associate at his private private firm (EX-A09), forwarded official party data to the former chairman’s personal Gmail (EX-A04), and used the official Secretary email and Red Book list to campaign against the Chair (EX-A10). The redirect did not precede the conduct—it followed it. Andrews moved off the auditable channel after the conduct had already occurred and after he learned the channel was being examined.

Threats Against Chair Horn

In a deleted email to Evan Morris on February 13, Andrews forwarded an insurance-related thread and wrote:

Financial Leverage

Andrews has made multiple financial claims against the party and its chair, each documented below.

Storage Billing & Supply Access

On March 1, 2026, Andrews emailed Chair Horn and Alec Hanna from his official Secretary account, billing the Colorado Republican Committee $1,500 per month for storage of party supplies in his personal barn. He threatened to auction the supplies after 60 days if payment was not received.

Expense Reimbursement Claims

In his email to Ganahl (EX-A06), Andrews stated he would resign only “pending being reimbursed for the approx $10,000 in out-of-pocket travel expenses, which will climb to some $12,000 after the Assembly.” This conditions his departure from office on financial payment.

By March 2026, Andrews' total expense claim had reached approximately $9,000. Line items included a $400-per-night room charge. These invoices were submitted directly to the party with accompanying threats: Andrews conditioned his resignation on payment and threatened to withhold party property if not reimbursed.

Treasurer Resignation & Line of Credit

At the February 21 meeting, Andrews disclosed that he had also served as party Treasurer but resigned from that position around December 10, 2025. His stated reason: “I resigned as treasurer around December 10th because I didn't want my name associated with that FEC report.”

Andrews also disclosed that he personally arranged the party's $25,000 line of credit through “the bank of a close friend of mine.” He delegated the negotiation to Alec Hanna (Executive Director, a non-elected staff member). When asked why Vice Chair Holtorf did not sign the credit agreement as required, Andrews said he “didn't think about that.” Source: EX-012, lines 963–968, 1121–1131

Outsourcing Official Work

On February 3, 2026, after Chair Horn requested Andrews complete missing Red Book entries by Thursday at 5 PM, Andrews forwarded the task to Evan Morris and wrote: “Evan, can you pls update the Redbook by 5 pm with the below entries? I'll pay you the going TCFG rate.”

Information Flow

The Secretary's office operated as a routing node between a specific set of actors and the party's official distribution channels. The flows below are each traced to exhibits documented in this report.

Timeline