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A Top California Democratic Party Official Resigns After FBI Arrest Becomes Public
VoiceOfOCMelahat Rafiei, a longtime leader in Orange County’s Democratic Party, resigned Sunday night from her position as secretary of the California Democratic Party and state representative to the Democratic National Committee.
A host of Orange County lawmakers and party leaders increasingly called for her resignation this week after news came out that she was arrested by the FBI in 2019.
According to an affidavit from FBI special agent Brian Adkins, Rafiei was arrested on attempted bribery after federal agents allege she told a cannabis company that hired her she planned on bribing two Irvine City Councilmembers in exchange for favorable legislation in the city.
Rafiei previously identified herself as CW1 in the affidavit, while the cannabis company employees are identified as CHS1 and CHS2.
“CW1 began to devise a scheme whereby CW1 would solicit money from CHS1 and CHS2 with the intention of paying bribes to two elected members of the Irvine City Council in exchange for the Council Members performing official acts, resulting in the passage of favorable cannabis laws,” states the affidavit.
5 replies
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TheLiberalOC
First, my agreement with your assessment in one picture:
Dear Chair Harrison & Chair Hicks:
The events of the past few days, and years, have forced me to look inward to consider what I, my party, my state, and its people truly value. My first commitment has always been to the ideals and priorities of the Democratic Party. Knowing this, I must recognize that controversies created by sensationalist press reports about me have become a distraction from the important work of the party.
Those reports are largely speculative and often flat out wrong: I have never attempted to improperly influence any elected official, and I am certain the work I undertook to root out corruption was in the best interest of the people of this state and the Democratic Party. But I understand that controversy over my role is now a hindrance. My commitment to the party and its causes remains paramount. I will not let sensationalist press reports, rumor, and innuendo compromise the important work that must be done ahead of this election season. It is for these reasons, and these reasons alone, that with great regret, I now resign all positions within the California Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee.
Having committed myself for nearly a quarter century to the ideals, interests, and priorities of the Democratic Party, I take this step with great sadness. As an Iranian-American refugee, I used my voice and my platform to motivate, inspire, and support immigrant communities, the LGBTQ+ community, and women of color to ascend in a world in which we are still too often unseen, unheard, and underrepresented. For that reason, being an elected representative of the CDP and the DNC has been an incredible honor.
What began as grassroots advocacy led to my direct efforts on behalf of candidates, my service as the only woman of color to serve as Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Orange County, and my work as a successful political consultant with a track record for helping high quality candidates run, win, and serve. More recently I was honored to make history as the first Iranian-American elected to the DNC and as Secretary of the CDP. Achieving these leadership positions and elevating the platform for women of color in our party is something of which I am extraordinarily proud. My resignation from the CDP and DNC will change nothing about my commitment to the Democratic Party and the values we stand for.
It was, in fact, my dedication to these principles that led me to accept the request by federal investigators and prosecutors to serve as a cooperating witness in an ongoing investigation to uncover corruption among Republican operatives and elected officials in the city of Anaheim. I was not compelled to cooperate. Any assertions to the contrary are false. I chose to assist federal investigators and prosecutors out of a sense of duty and patriotism. If those individuals now named by federal prosecutors are, in fact, guilty of corruption and are brought to justice, I will be proud of the role I was willing to play despite what that role has now cost me. In the meantime, the rush to judgment that is all too prevalent in politics these days has made clear to me that, for now, the best course of action for me and for the party is to resign from my positions.
Although I am taking a step away, I devotedly encourage Democrats to keep up the fight. We serve more than the politics that pervade our lives. We serve the most vulnerable populations who often fall prey to the political machine. They need everything we have to offer to not only uplift them, but to protect them. If I am not with you in the trenches, I will be with you in spirit.
In Solidarity,
Melahat Rafiei
First, my agreement with your assessment in one picture:
Dear Chair Harrison & Chair Hicks:
The events of the past few days, and years, have forced me to look inward to consider what I, my party, my state, and its people truly value. My first commitment has always been to the ideals and priorities of the Democratic Party. Knowing this, I must recognize that controversies created by sensationalist press reports about me have become a distraction from the important work of the party.
Those reports are largely speculative and often flat out wrong: I have never attempted to improperly influence any elected official, and I am certain the work I undertook to root out corruption was in the best interest of the people of this state and the Democratic Party. But I understand that controversy over my role is now a hindrance. My commitment to the party and its causes remains paramount. I will not let sensationalist press reports, rumor, and innuendo compromise the important work that must be done ahead of this election season. It is for these reasons, and these reasons alone, that with great regret, I now resign all positions within the California Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee.
Having committed myself for nearly a quarter century to the ideals, interests, and priorities of the Democratic Party, I take this step with great sadness. As an Iranian-American refugee, I used my voice and my platform to motivate, inspire, and support immigrant communities, the LGBTQ+ community, and women of color to ascend in a world in which we are still too often unseen, unheard, and underrepresented. For that reason, being an elected representative of the CDP and the DNC has been an incredible honor.
What began as grassroots advocacy led to my direct efforts on behalf of candidates, my service as the only woman of color to serve as Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Orange County, and my work as a successful political consultant with a track record for helping high quality candidates run, win, and serve. More recently I was honored to make history as the first Iranian-American elected to the DNC and as Secretary of the CDP. Achieving these leadership positions and elevating the platform for women of color in our party is something of which I am extraordinarily proud. My resignation from the CDP and DNC will change nothing about my commitment to the Democratic Party and the values we stand for.
It was, in fact, my dedication to these principles that led me to accept the request by federal investigators and prosecutors to serve as a cooperating witness in an ongoing investigation to uncover corruption among Republican operatives and elected officials in the city of Anaheim. I was not compelled to cooperate. Any assertions to the contrary are false. I chose to assist federal investigators and prosecutors out of a sense of duty and patriotism. If those individuals now named by federal prosecutors are, in fact, guilty of corruption and are brought to justice, I will be proud of the role I was willing to play despite what that role has now cost me. In the meantime, the rush to judgment that is all too prevalent in politics these days has made clear to me that, for now, the best course of action for me and for the party is to resign from my positions.
Although I am taking a step away, I devotedly encourage Democrats to keep up the fight. We serve more than the politics that pervade our lives. We serve the most vulnerable populations who often fall prey to the political machine. They need everything we have to offer to not only uplift them, but to protect them. If I am not with you in the trenches, I will be with you in spirit.
In Solidarity,
Melahat Rafiei
No excuses for anyone who might have been involved in bribery. If she were totally innocent of all but being a secret cooperating witness for the FBI, as she admits, I'd expect her to resign while she fought the charges.
But right now I admit the extremely questionable timing raises a bigger concern of whether the FBI is once again interfering against Democrats in elections of existential national importance. That would, again, be an incredibly huge crime.
Enough that my first thought these days any time a Democrat is caught out in genuine, repeat corruption is to wonder if the person could be a conservative who believes good government's an oxymoron but masqueraded as a liberal Democrat to get elected. Seriously. Wishfulness but far from unfounded.
