Colorado Republican Chair Dave Williams today announced he’s selected Tom Bjorklund as the party’s new Treasurer. Bjorklund, a longtime political operative from Grand Junction, is an election fraud conspiracist who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
As the Colorado Times Recorder reported in August of 2021, Bjorklund announced (in Facebook posts since made private) that he was driving to Washington D.C. to “go into the fray.”
Bjorklund was also a member of election fraud conspiracy group U.S. Election Integrity Plan (USEIP). He joined that group’s private Basecamp chat group on Dec. 17, 2020.
On Jan. 3, he told the other members he was heading to D.C. and bringing a trailer. He also offered a seat in his truck to any other member who wanted to ride along.
Bjorklund was also in touch with U.S. Rep Doug Lamborn, telling the USEIP group on Jan. 4 that , “Doug Lamborn texted me that he will be protesting the electors.”
In a January 15 Facebook post, Bjorklund recounted his experience at the insurrection,saying that he didn’t enter the Capitol building, he was “at the back of the Capitol steps” and remained outside “so see how things unfolded.” He also says he saw what he believes were “multiple Antifa type characters encouraging stupid behavior.”
“I saw people in black bloc (faces covered but with one article of Trump clothing like a hat or a bumper sticker pasted on) coming down the mall path carrying Trump flags upside down, and I knew something was up,” wrote Bjorklund. “But still, the people who blindly followed agent provocateurs’ instructions should have known better. Everything about that moment screamed THIS IS A SET UP.
“Fortunately, I don’t really like loud crowds and I am allergic to flash bangs and tear gas, so I kept my distance. You won’t see pictures of me marching through the capitol building. Instead, I kinda stayed out of the madness. I was curious enough to stick around to see how things unfolded, but when it became apparent what was transpiring at the capitol, including a large trail of blood that I had to step over, I decided to leave.”
Bjorklund also testified at the Dec 15, 2020 Colorado Legislative Audit Committee Hearing on Election Fraud, which USEIP claimed credit for organizing. Bjorklund appeared as an expert witness due to his many years as a conservative political campaign operative. He said repeatedly there was fraud in Colorado elections. Citing his own database of Colorado voters compiled from his professional work, Bjorklund claimed that he had proof of 455 people who voted twice in the 2020 election. His full testimony is online and starts at 4:27:00.
Just under a year later, Bjorklund appeared before another group of elected officials as an “expert witness,” this time in Mesa County.
Bjorklund, USEIP’s Shawn Smith, Cory Anderson (who trained conspiracist volunteers to canvass voters) and Sherronna Bishop, who emceed the panel, presented Mesa County Commissioners with a debunked “report” they claim proved election fraud. It did not.
Williams announced his selection of Bjorklund in a press release that also praised failed Congressional candidate Erik Aadland for recommending Bjorklund, for the position.
“Former Chairman candidate, and respected Republican leader, Erik Aadland, had planned to appoint Tom Bjorklund to be our next Treasurer,” wrote Williams.
“When that idea was given to me, it made all the sense in the world to give Erik’s idea to appoint Tom my full consideration. After learning more about why Erik wanted to see Tom in that role, it became clear that it was the right decision to make…I want to personally thank Erik Aadland for elevating Tom’s name for this role while giving Erik credit for identifying such a highly qualified individual to serve in this capacity.”
Other than a brief bio noting Bjorklund’s 19 years of political experience, Williams didn’t specify what Aadland saw in his campaign treasurer that made him think Bjorklund would be a good fit for the state party role, but all three men have one thing common: publicly stating the 2020 election was stolen. Aadland called it “absolutely rigged” and he’s referred to those arrested for their participation as political prisoners.
Between Chairman Williams, Secretary Anna Ferguson, and now Treasurer Bjorklund, three of the top four Colorado Republican Party leadership positions are occupied by election denying conspiracists. Two of which (Williams and Ferguson) were elected by a majority of Colorado GOP Central Committee members.
Bjorklund did not respond to multiple requests for comment. This article will be updated with any response received.
