Update 2/16/2018 5:11PM: The original article did not state when Ms. Hamilton was asked to step down and the date is now included. Ms. Hamilton is also not currently a candidate for Governor or running for any position currently.

More information from Ms. Hamilton was also added to clarify details.

Update 2/16/2018 5:42PM: Updates from Maricopa County Libertarian Party Chair Jim Iannuzo were acquired and are now included.

Merissa Hamilton, former candidate for Governor of Arizona and one of the women who was identified by Daniel Thompson as making false accusations about him, was asked to step down as Vice Chair of the Maricopa County Libertarian Party in January.

Dramatarians also reported today that Hamilton has unregistered from the Libertarian Party and will instead be registered as an independent.

In a live Facebook video posted on Feb. 10, Merissa explains that she was asked to resign for calling out Vice Chair Arvin Vohra’s comments on age of consent laws.

“After the whole situation with Arvin happened and I filed my complaint and I stood out against both Arvin, the Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party and the chair of the National party Nick Sarwark for not speaking out as I feel his responsibility is, against the pro-pedo statements that Arvin stated.

Shortly after that, I was asked a week before the convention, the Arizona Libertarian Party convention. I received an e-mail from Jim Iannuzo, my county chair, asking me to have a conversation with Brandon Slayton, my 2^nd vice chair of the Maricopa county party, and him, and if I didn’t have a meeting in person, I was asked not to attend the Arizona Libertarian party convention and also resign.”

Hamilton continues to explain that she could not meet in person due to traveling, but could talk over the phone and how two officers of the Maricopa County LP were attacking her Facebook page, “calling me names and basically gaslighting me” because of her position on the Chair and Vice Chair.

She also states that those attacking her were claiming that she was slandering them in response and that one of these officers allegedly tried to get the state party to disinvite her from the state convention, but none of this would change her opinion.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmerissa.hamilton.71%2Fvideos%2F1182180988583035%2F&show_text=0&width=267

The before mentioned Maricopa County chair, Jim Iannuzo, contradicted this video, however, and stated in an e-mail correspondence with the author that “Merissa left her vice chair position to pursue a non partisan office.” Hamilton stated that she is currently not running for any position, and did not step down to run for another.

Chair Iannuzo responded to the Libertarian Vindicator with “Merissa was a valued officer and brought many good ideas into the party. We thank her for the time spent as 1st Vice Chair. The MCLP has officers who have strong opinions, welcome debate but understand we are all moving to a common goal of self determination and individual liberty,” and stated that the meeting Hamilton mentions in her video was about requirements to serve and work within a committee.

LNC member Kevin McCormick responded, via social media, to her resigning stating “After slandering multiple innocent people and committing fraud (yes fraud is a violation of NAP) Merissa has finally done something respectful and resigned her position in the Maricopa Libertarian Party. Unfortunately for her this will not stop the AGs investigation into her campaign finance violations.”

Hamilton states that McCormick never substantiated what was fraudulent and that she is currently not an investigation into her campaign finance’s. She also states that McCormick asked her to stop running for Governor is early January and “insinuated a financial offer” to acquire signatures for another position. McCormick had wanted her to run for a different position in order to fill more ballot spots, but Hamilton had concerns that this would discourage people from running for positions in the future.

According to screenshots provided by an anonymous source, Hamilton has previously accused people of child molestation without physical evidence (the former Libertarian clarified that she sent 55 pages of evidence of the assault, but had nothing physical as proof).

Hamilton was fined a $475 late filing fee by the state and another anonymous source claimed that she made statements that she never intended to file and a screenshot provided shows that she didn’t intend to file before her state’s convention because “No matter what I file, they will claim something is fraud.”