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In late January, following months of frustrations and minor arguments, members of the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee called a meeting with ALGOP chairman John Wahl and his brother, Noah Wahl, the chairman of the county party, to address, among other things, what some members believed was an unethical conflict of interest and possibly a violation of state laws by the Wahls.
Specifically, the county committee members wanted to address the Wahls’ continued operation of a political consulting business known as WT&S Consulting, and their involvement, through that business, in Republican primaries in the county.
“Since you’ve been chairman over the last 12 years, there has been an evolution of how things are done, and it has become commonplace that things are operating outside of the bylaws,” a LCREC member who asked not to be identified told Noah Wahl during the meeting, according to a recording of the meeting. “We do have significant problems – Wisemen Consulting. I’ve got names, figures – you, others, that have paid the consulting firm for the Wahl family tens of thousands of dollars. Significant amounts of money.
“When you sit as chairman of this organization and John sits as chairman of ALGOP, that creates a conflict of interest.”
Over the next 40 minutes or so, the Wahls and the other men present at the meeting argue over that general allegation – that the Wahls have used their considerable influence in the Republican Party, and particularly within LCREC, to push certain candidates into races, back them with their influence and consulting business and also accept thousands of dollars in payments from those candidates’ campaigns.
That meeting was recorded – everyone present acknowledged that fact at the start – and a copy of the recording, along with campaign finance records, financial statements from the party and other information, was sent to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, according to multiple sources. (The intention to solicit state officials’ opinion was specifically mentioned during the meeting.) From there, according to the sources, the recording and documents were sent to multiple other law enforcement agencies and the Alabama Ethics Commission for investigation.
Allen’s office would not confirm or deny its receipt of the information, saying that such allegations “would typically be referred to the Alabama Attorney General, local District Attorney(s), the Alabama Ethics Commission, the Alabama Department of Revenue, the IRS, the FBI, and the US Attorney’s Office.”
“Once a referral is made, we stand ready to assist law enforcement to the fullest extent possible,” the statement read. “Unless and until receiving authorities report back that a referral has been closed or we otherwise learn that a referral has reached a final disposition, we are obligated to treat it and related information as an open criminal investigation. That means if such information were to exist, hypothetically, we cannot disclose it publicly to preserve the integrity of the justice process.”
APR obtained a copy of the recording, along with several other recordings and documents. Over the last several weeks, APR has interviewed more than a dozen individuals with knowledge of the investigations or firsthand experience within the Limestone County Republican Party.
While those interviews provided helpful clarity and context, particularly of the in-fighting that has taken place both within the LCREC and ALGOP, the majority of the information contained in the allegations could be found in campaign finance documents that outline the dollars flowing both from candidates and the party to WT&S Consulting.
Those payments, while relatively small when compared to the big money transactions at the national level – tens of thousands compared to tens of millions – also paint a picture of influential party officials putting a thumb on the scales in some local races – a no-no, according to party bylaws – creating at least the appearance of a conflict.
The Wahls avoided questions from APR. Multiple attempts to reach them on their cell phones, at John Wahl’s office, at Wisemen Trading and through email have been ignored. Multiple text messages providing specific information about the allegations went unanswered. APR also emailed John Wahl specific questions related to the allegations made during the January meeting with a promise to print his responses verbatim. He did not respond.
On the recording, however, the Wahls admit to making mistakes by not being more transparent with party finances and not addressing questions about potential conflicts in a more timely fashion. They also defend themselves and their business, saying at first that it did all work for candidates at cost, and then later maintaining that there was nothing inappropriate with the work.
“You’re looking at this wrong – you’re looking at this (WT&S) as an entity that was designed to make money,” John Wahl says on the recording. “It was never designed to make money.
“Is there something wrong with helping Republican candidates?”
John Wahl also states during a heated back and forth at the meeting that he is “completely detached” from WT&S. When the others present inform him that his name is still on the website and his email address is the primary contact on the site, he expresses surprise.
According to John Wahl’s statement of economic interest, which must be filed each year with the Alabama Ethics Commission, he has received income from “WTandS” of $50,000 to $149,999 for each of the last four years. However, it’s unclear if the “WTandS” listed on the report is the consulting company that has received payments from candidates or a reference to the outdoors supply store the Wahl family operates.
The Wahl family has long owned Wisemen Trading and Supply, and John Wahl has previously said in media interviews that WT&S Consulting is a separate company. But in campaign finance reports and on Wahl’s filings, the names are often interchanged, making it difficult to discern which business is being referenced.
What is clear is that Noah Wahl, who serves as chairman of LCREC, is still involved with the consulting company, as both men admit during the January meeting. Both Wahls, during that meeting, also claimed that was not a conflict.
John Wahl said that he created the separation between himself and the family consulting business because he was “required by state (party) bylaws,” but he said that his brother, as county chair, was not required to do so. In fact, both Wahls claimed that a county chairman operating a consulting business and working with candidates in GOP primaries was perfectly acceptable. John Wahl said other GOP county chairs, including Chris Brown in Jefferson County – “one of the biggest consultants in the state,” according to John Wahl – also operated consulting businesses.
“You’re simply not speaking correctly,” John Wahl said.
The LCREC members were adamant that the setup was a conflict filled with obvious problems.
“I’ll tell you if there are others (county chairmen) doing it, give me their name and I’ll report him too, because it’s wrong – it’s 100 percent wrong,” the LCREC member said. “If there’s two candidates running in a primary and you choose to support one, it gives them an advantage.”
As an example, Jones points out during the argument the surprising success of political newcomer Kelly Davis, who won her 2024 primary race for Limestone County Circuit Court clerk. While her two opponents in that primary were also first-time candidates, one of them had previously worked in the circuit clerk’s office. Davis won without a runoff, getting 51 percent of the vote.
According to multiple sources, some within LCREC began to question the support Davis received from the local party even before the primary ended. And then they started to spread around the campaign finance reports showing that Davis spent nearly $40,000 from her campaign funds with WT&S Consulting for advertising and polling/consulting in the weeks leading up to the primary.
When pressed during the January meeting about it, Noah Wahl said he did not personally work with Davis, but someone else at WT&S did. He then asked why they were having the conversation.
“Because she paid your firm $40,000,” Jones answered. “And she didn’t have a seat on here (LCREC) until money started flowing. Do you understand where I’m going?”
A source separately told APR that Davis was well liked within the party and said no one has accused her of doing anything improper. “She did what she’s supposed to do – hire the consultants that help you win,” the source said.
Davis told APR that she chose WT&S because she wanted a local consulting company to handle a local race. She also said she didn’t work directly with Noah Wahl. As for any potential conflict for the Wahls, Davis said that wasn’t something she could control.
“It is not my job to determine who has conflicts,” she said. “I was running for a local office, and I know nothing about conflicts. My campaign was simply focused on local issues concerning the circuit clerk’s office.”
The problem for many LCREC members, though, is that they believe party leadership shouldn’t be influencing primary elections at all, and particularly not for pay. The 2024 circuit court race was not the only instance of WT&S working for a candidate in a primary, nor was it the only time the Wahls exerted influence in a primary race, according to multiple sources.
Perhaps the most notable example is the relationship between the Wahls and state Rep. Ben Harrison, who has also employed WT&S and been the beneficiary of a controversial ballot decision.
Campaign finance records show that Harrison has paid WT&S thousands of dollars over the past decade and Harrison also has received thousands of dollars from LCREC in donations.
In 2019, Harrison, who was then a county commissioner, faced a challenge from a local farmer, LaDon Townsend, in the Republican primary. It appeared to be a close race, until Townsend faced a challenge from a former candidate for sheriff, claiming that Townsend shouldn’t be allowed to run as a Republican because he had supported longtime Democratic Sheriff Mike Blakely.
John Wahl was then the vice chairman of ALGOP. Noah Wahl was the county chairman. The challenge was successful, booting Townsend off the ballot and leaving Harrison unchallenged in the primary. (Townsend ran as an independent candidate in the general election and won.)
The LCREC members who are unhappy with the arrangement – they also question other financial decisions and relationships – believe it all points to a problematic mismanagement of the county party that has left the Wahl family and their closest allies with too much power and control. They’re picking winners and losers, stacking the steering committee with friends and clients and essentially running roughshod over the rest, several members told APR.
Those sources told APR that some meetings have devolved into threats of physical violence, as members have argued over finances and processes. They said they have repeatedly been denied access to detailed financial reports and that questions about failing to follow clear party bylaws have been met with silence or brushed aside.
At the end of the day, though, they don’t know if it all rises to the level of illegality.
“Right is right and wrong is wrong,” one LCREC member told APR. “I don’t want to hurt Republicans. But I care more about doing the right thing than I do about what party somebody is in.”
