Selected by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, a Maryland delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention was indicted this week for illegally transporting explosives, possessing a machine gun, and child pornography charges. Although the Maryland Republican Party has confirmed that Trump’s campaign approved the delegate’s nomination, Trump has refused to answer questions regarding whether his campaign will ask the delegate to step down in light of the mounting evidence against him.
On February 17, Maryland delegate Caleb Bailey allegedly mailed five boxes of illegal ammunition through the U.S. Postal Service to a person referred to as “Individual A” who owns a licensed firearm store in Wisconsin. According to Bailey’s indictment, four of the boxes were delivered, but the fifth box suddenly ruptured open at a Maryland post office on February 18.
Inside the ruptured package, investigators discovered 400 rounds of .223 ammunition, 119 rounds of .50 caliber cartridges with M48A1 incendiary projectiles, and 200 rounds of 14.5mm M183A1 spotting projectiles which contain pyrotechnic and explosive mixtures. Without a required license or permit to legally possess or transfer explosive ammo, Bailey reportedly called the post office under a false name while inquiring into the whereabouts of the missing fifth package on February 25.
Informed that the fifth package was still in transit, Bailey called the post office a week later using his real name this time. According to law enforcement officials who listened to both recorded conversations, both voices match Bailey’s.
Attempting to lure Bailey into a trap, law enforcement officers planned to arrest Bailey during a scheduled meeting at the post office on May 5, but the Trump delegate never appeared. Instead, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant later that day seizing a machine gun and child pornography at Bailey’s residence and other properties. The indictment further alleges that from March 2015 to January 2016, Bailey attempted to use and did use a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce child pornography.
As Trump won the Maryland Republican primary in late April, his campaign selected Bailey as a delegate for the Republican National Convention during that time. Earlier this month, Mother Jones reported that Trump’s campaign selected a white supremacist named William Johnson for its California delegation. While Trump’s campaign blamed Johnson’s selection as a “database error,” Johnson announced that he would resign from the delegation.
According to Mother Jones, the executive director for the Maryland Republican Party, Joe Cluster, recently confirmed that Bailey was approved by Trump’s campaign as a delegate to the RNC from Maryland’s 5th Congressional district. Both Trump and Bailey have refused to answer questions regarding Bailey’s possible resignation.
Bailey currently faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for unlawful transport of explosives by a non-licensee and for illegal possession of a machine gun; a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for production and attempted production of child pornography; and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography.
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