CD7 is Minnesota’s most conservative, red, reliably pro-liberty district in our state. Instead of having a fearless America First fighter representing their interests in Congress they have RINO career politician Michelle Fischbach.

CD7’s GOP party unit had long been controlled by a paid Fischbach staffer, Craig Bishop, proving that the party could not act neutrally in endorsing conventions. The party leadership undermined the grassroots of CD7, particularly in Otter Tail County where delegates were completely disenfranchised from their delegate roles at the 2024 CD7 GOP convention.

In March of this year, grassroots conservatives rallied together to support the election of new leadership that would promote fairness and honor the party endorsement in primaries. During that convention, conservative Bret Bussman was elected as Chair, defeating Michelle Fishbach’s paid puppet Craig Bishop. Otter Tail conservative Nathan Miller also won CD7’s seat on the MNGOP State Executive Committee. Unfortunately, pro-disenfranchisement Tiffany Lesmeister-Knott narrowly defeated the grassroots choice of Laura Knudsen after two rounds of voting in the Deputy Chair race. 

In addition to the Deputy Chair race, the CD7 Executive Committee is still largely controlled by RINO Fischbach puppets. Sources tell A4L that the Establishment majority on this committee created another position on their board to give themselves a super-majority to further undermine, attack, and discredit just about anything Bussman tries to do, even when it would objectively be good for CD7’s GOP! They have violated their Constitution, Bylaws, and have even refused his choice of a former tax software instructor & campaign treasurer for CD7 GOP Treasurer despite them being completely qualified for the job.

We are told that about 5 of the Senate district Directors on the CD7 Exec. Committee have refused to provide documents proving they were duly elected to the committee which is required by Article IV Section 4 of the CD7 GOP Bylaws, highlighting how the deck is stacked against Bussman and other grassroots conservatives. They’ve even tapped into mainstream media to do smear jobs against Bussman!

Bussman has been a threat to the Establishment simply for being an honest, regular conservative. Bussman has run for state Senate (as the endorsed Republican) and MNGOP Chair with promises of representing the grassroots. Despite not engaging in many of the hardcore tactics A4L promotes, Bussman has become a major threat to lockstep RINO control of the party. In fairness, Bussman sided with Fischbach to counter-act A4L reporting on the Epstein Files, proving that he is not necessarily a hostile actor to Fischbach (though he also supports the release of info related to Epstein).

Sources tell A4L that the Establishment has gotten even dirtier. They’ve realized that throwing stones at Bret Bussman hasn’t worked so now they’ve moved to the nuclear option: Use lies to force Bussman out by delegitimately calling the 2025 convention delegitimate.

The RINOs are reportedly going to claim that the March 2025 CD7 GOP convention was illegitimate about EIGHT months after the fact! They cannot find a REAL reason to remove Bussman so they have to make one up! Reportedly, their argument is that Otter Tail delegates should not have been allowed to be sat and the convention results are therefore null and void. This shows that they have run out of real ways to oust Bussman and are employing whatever corruption they feel they have to use.

There has been no allegation, credible or incredible, to suggest that the 2025 CD7 convention vote was rigged in any way. In fact, the Establishment would be the ones guilty of rigging in CD7 when they disenfranchised Otter Tail delegates at their 2024 convention! Allowing those same delegates to vote is what made the 2025 convention legitimate, not the other way around! The RINOs had eight months to come up with a solid reason and the best they can come up with is disenfrachising Otter Tail again?

It doesn’t end there, we are told that MNGOP Chair Alex Plechash has asked Bret Bussman to resign!

Plechash's reasoning reportedly included claims that Bret is the cause of CD7 chaos, Bret defended A4L too much, and that Bret signed onto a letter demanding the party look into compliance issues.

While the GOP Congressional delegation from MN has been stiffing Plechash and holding the party hostage of big donors, Plechash is still trying to cater to their RINO interests! Plechash could stand with the grassroots and tell Fischbach that Bret Bussman was elected fairly but he has instead chosen to fall prey to the Establishment yet again. The interests of the same Establishment that favored crooked RINO David Hann over Plechash for Chair is what he is fighting to represent, not the grassroots delegates who elected him.

A4L is told by CD7 locals that Bret Bussman will not resign and the RINOs are going to try to force him out! We are also told the RINOs cooked up some deal to have Bussman and Liemeister resign and move to lower positions but Tiffany ultimately reneged on the deal.           

In some cases, you cannot be sure who to trust! Steve Boyd ran against Michelle Fischbach in 2024 as the conservative, anti-establishment option in the race. Neither were able to reach the 60% threshold for the CD7 GOP endorsement and the race went to a primary. Boyd was later elected as a Vice Chair for the CD7 GOP and most would assume he would be an ally of Bussman. Unfortunately, our sources tell us that Boyd took a job working for RINO Jeff Backer and that he has not been standing up for Bussman during critical battles.

Bussman was duly elected to a two year term as CD7 GOP Chair and has shown he is fully intended on living up to his commitment. He has served as living proof that the RINO Establishment will try to tear you down no matter what you do.

Action 4 Liberty condemns the corrupt RINO Establishment seeking to throw away the votes of conservative delegates. The RINOs are proving the point of the grassroots when they operate as an Establishment cult that demands absolute uniformity in protecting the RINO elites. The ongoing battles in the CD7 GOP is indicative of the fight across the state within the Republican Party proving that the America First Grassroots is rising and the America Last Establishment is running scared.

NOTE: Bret Bussman was contacted for comment on this story and he did not respond or provide any information.