Reaction to a Federal Elections Commission audit this week provides an interesting window to the continuing dissension inside the Kansas Republican Party.

The FEC audit of the party’s financial affairs in 2007 and 2008 was highly critical. During that time, the FEC reported, state and federal taxes weren’t paid and illegal contributions were accepted. Although the FEC found no evidence money was misused, payments were made improperly out of bank accounts that were supposed to be segregated for federal and nonfederal campaigns.

During those two years, when the Kansas GOP was being led by state chairman Kris Kobach and executive director Christian Morgan, the party organization spent $788,000, nearly $10,000 more than it took in. When they left their leadership positions, the Kansas GOP had less than $5,000 in its treasury.

Under such circumstances, Kobach or Morgan might be expected to either defend their actions or step up and accept responsibility for the situation they created. Instead, both men quickly blamed the other one for the problems.

Morgan was responsible for the party’s finances, Kobach said. “Had I known of his errors when I was chairman, I would have fired him immediately.”

“Kobach was the boss and he called the shots,” responded Morgan. “He is looking for a scapegoat.”

Those are pretty harsh words for people who are supposed to be on the same political team. It probably doesn’t help that Kobach currently is seeking his party’s nomination to become Kansas secretary of state and Morgan is a political consultant for another Republican secretary of state candidate, J.R. Claeys of Salina.

For a number of years, there has been considerable concern about the split between moderate, traditional Kansas Republicans and the more conservative end of the party that held most of the leadership positions. Now, it seems the conservative leaders are going after one another.

Morgan resigned as executive director shortly after Amanda Adkins took over as chairwoman of the state party in January 2009. Perhaps some of the problems Adkins discovered, including more than $100,000 in operational debt, had something to do with his departure. Ashley McMillan, a former staffer for Sen. Pat Roberts, now serves as executive director.

Hopefully, the new leadership will bring increased stability and harmony to the Kansas Republican Party. The kind of infighting that marked the Kobach-Morgan years and seems to be carrying over into current campaigns doesn’t benefit either the Republican Party or the state as a whole.