A Timeline of the Gallegly Center's Development (2022-2024)
Jan 2022
"The Plan" to Damage Varlotta's Reputation and Inauguration
Jan 3: Shechter emails the Galleglys saying "The Plan is in Place" - a coordinated effort to damage Varlotta’s reputation and pressure the Board to cancel her inauguration.
Jan 7–20: Shechter recruits letter writers to target all 28 CLU regents. Each regent is slated to receive at least one negative letter about Varlotta.
Jan 20: Shechter reports success: all regents received at least two letters. He likens their efforts to a national "awakening" against "corruption" in universities
Janice Gallegly confirms she is seeking additional letter-drafting help from PR operative Eric Rose.
Later, under oath, Janice Gallegly claims they "never said anything bad… about CLU."
Sabotage Attempts Intensify Before Inauguration
Circa early February: The replica office is moved out of the Gallegly Center into a library holding space so that the large archival collection can take its place.
Feb 8-10: Email evidence shows James Lacey drafting a “hard-hitting” letter, reviewed by his own legal counsel, to drop just before Varlotta’s Feb 22 inauguration.
Lacey emails Galleglys and shares his plan to send the "hard-hitting letter" to the following media outlets: Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Epoch Times, LA Times, Tucker Carlson, Hannity, etc.
Lacey tells the Galleglys that his strategy is to hijack any positive media that Varlotta’s inauguration is likely to generate and turn it into a media buzz that attacks her character and leadership.
Janice emails Shechter and makes the following requests: send copies of the board letters to her for “her files”; find people to sign letters she has ghostwritten; submit more op-eds to the Ventura County Star and Pacific Coast Business Times since they cover a broader audience than the Acorn
Under oath, Janice Gallegly later confirms that she and others hoped the media blitz would generate enough bad press to stop Varlotta inauguration.
Late February: Varlotta is inaugurated as planned. There are no public disruptions.