New York Post

NY GOPers howl at anti-Don purge

- By REBECCA ROSENBERG rrosenberg@nypost.com

Members of a storied Manhattan Republican club were booted during a heated meeting at its Upper East Side headquarte­rs — because of their support for President Trump, sources told The Post.

Tensions at the Metropolit­an Republican Club on East 83rd Street — which counts state Republican Committee chief Ed Cox and former Mayor Mike Bloomberg as members — had been festering for months over Trump’s ascent to the presidency.

After his surprise victory in November, sources said, the club’s old guard launched a campaign to cleanse Trump supporters.

“They hate Donald Trump, and they were really pissed when he won,” said expelled executive board member Sandra Chase.

Club President Debbie Coughlin, former club President Peter Hein, Bob Morgan III and Ian Reilly colluded to boot Trump backers — and flagrantly violated longstandi­ng bylaws in doing so, the sources allege.

Dismissed members likened the move to a Soviet political purge.

One ousted member, Allan Stevo, said he was shocked to find a security guard stationed at the meeting last week.

“He was there to be a show of force and intimidati­on,” he said.

During the primary campaign, Coughlin, Reilly and Morgan gave then-Trump rival Sen. Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, the “keys to the club,” said ousted member Michael Javelos.

Stevo said many rank-and-file members were concerned that the club was being used to materially back a specific candidate, rather than the GOP nominee.

“I was frustrated by how many people were ‘Never Trump’ on the board of the club,” he said. “The general membership was a different story. There were ardent Trump supporters.”

Chase said the purge was enabled by violations of the club’s bylaws, including failing to give 30 days’ written notice to members marked for removal.

At the end of the meeting, Javelos, Georgia Palmieri, Alain Palmieri, Stevo and Chase were removed from the committee. Georgia had been on the committee since 1998, she said.

Coughlin did not return requests for comment.

“The Met Club replaced its board members according to its bylaws. It was simply the replacing of the ‘old guard’ by younger blood, something that happens in any organizati­on,” said club Chairwoman Adele Malpass. “This had absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump.”

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