Mark Meckler, co-founder and national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, resigned on Friday, according to a press release from the group.
“Mark Meckler’s resignation as an employee and from the Tea Party Patriots board follows months of discussions and good-faith differences on how best TPP can serve the Tea Party movement,” the statement read. “He felt it necessary to step aside and pursue other endeavors. We extend our best wishes to him. He has done many good things for the movement.”
In December, Meckler was arrested for trying to carry a gun onto an airplane. Meckler was licensed to carry the gun in California, and declared the weapon, as is required, but his license wasn’t valid in New York, where he was trying to board the plane.
In January, Meckler pleaded guilty on disorderly conduct charges, for which he paid a small fine.
Since the incident, Meckler has kept a lower profile, with co-leader Jenny Beth Martin becoming the public face of the Tea Party Patriots.
In 2010 Martin was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for her role in leading the group.
Meckler and Martin recently co-authored a book, Tea Party Patriots: The Second American Revolution, which was released on Feb. 14.
“The Tea Party movement involves millions of Americans,” the statement continued. “No one person or even small groups of people are responsible for the movement’s success and vitality. Tea Party Patriots is successful because a great many people have given so much sweat and toil toward our goals of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets.”
The Tea Party Patriots claims to represent more than 3,000 Tea Party groups in all 50 states, the largest organization of its kind.
So, the Truth Set Him Free or was it the Bail Money?
So what’s up in Movement, now?