By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press

National chairman announces censure vote against Michigan member

Some Republicans want Agema out for offensive posts on social media

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee's top officers formally censured Michigan member Dave Agema today for what they called "harmful rhetoric" and demanded his resignation.

National Party Chairman Reince Priebus announced the censure of Agema, a former state representative from Grandville, who has been roundly criticized for remarks and posts on social media considered insensitive to gays, Muslims and blacks.

"Agema's history of harmful and offensive rhetoric has no place in our party, which is why the RNC Executive Committee acted in the swiftest way possible to avoid giving him a platform," Priebus said tonight as the RNC's Winter Meeting was set to get under way outside San Diego.

"We have voted to censure him and we are urging the Michigan GOP and their voters to explore options to discipline Agema for his actions. Today, we used all available tools to remove him from the committee."

Beyond the censure vote and call for Agema to resign, however, it did not appear that the RNC had a clear path to ousting him before the end of his 4-year term in the summer of 2016. The party has no written rules for ousting members for such behavior.

Agema, who is one of two national committee members from Michigan, was attending the winter meetings but there was no immediate public reaction from him on Facebook, which he uses to communicate with supporters.

The censure is expected to be read to the full RNC as part of committee reports by Friday's end of the winter meeting. The executive committee includes the party's national chair, vice chair, other officers and the chairs of the various committees.

Priebus and other officials, including several in Michigan, had first called for Agema's resignation a year ago leading into the 2014 winter meetings after he had criticized gays in a speech in Berrien County, re-posted a defense of a Russian anti-gay law on Facebook and also re-posted a third party screed questioning whether Muslims had done anything to improve American culture.

Agema decided to stay away from the meetings last year and it was hoped he would stop making the controversial posts or fade into the background. But on New Year's Eve, he posted a third-party article on Facebook that said blacks were different from -- and posed a threat to -- other races and that African Americans didn't have the same communication and reasoning skills of other races.

Agema defended himself by saying that just because he re-posted the article he didn't necessarily agree with its contents. Meanwhile, the cries for his resignation or ouster grew.

Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak said he supports the action because it is clear Agema "is not an effective party leader or representative, and has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to change his behavior."

"My position remains unchanged from a year ago, I hope Mr. Agema will voluntarily resign, but if he does not, the Michigan Republican Party will continue exploring all possibilities to address his actions," Schostak said.

Priebus, noting the the party has tried to expand its base in recent years, said, "It is important that we lead by example. ... We have to be a party that welcomes people and engages voters of all backgrounds and we cannot allow one man's fringe views to undermine the work that is ahead of us."

But it remains to be seen what can be done if Agema does not resign. While some of his critics have discussed using Roberts Rules of Order -- which the RNC meets under -- to expel him at least temporarily, that no longer seems to be under consideration.

Instead, Virginia GOP Chairman Pat Mullins sent a letter to RNC members on Tuesday recommending a vote on a resolution asking for Agema's resignation and, if he did not resign, asking the full RNC to pass a resolution "making it clear that Mr. Agema's abhorrent views and words have no place in our party — and that he in no way speaks for us."

"At our meeting on Friday, I hope that we will pass a resolution calling for his resignation. Mr. Agema may be able to ignore the voice of his home state, but I am hopeful he will not be able to ignore the voice of the entire country," Mullins wrote.

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on twitter at @tsspangler