N.C. GOP chairman first to call for Steele's resignation

North Carolina GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer on Thursday became the first Republican National Committee (RNC) member to call for Chairman Michael Steele's resignation since the commitee was revelead to have spent $2,000 at a risque nightclub.

In a letter to Steele obtained by the Raleigh News and Observer, Fetzer said Steele needs to stop being a distraction.

"More than ever, America needs the Republican Party to be a force for reform, transparency, and ethics in government," Fetzer wrote. "If we are going to be an effective agent for reform in America, we must first reform our party."

Fetzer also said some of the criticism Steel has received was not earned. But he said it was a matter of doing what's best for the party.

The two men appeared at a rally together last month.

"I believe that the best service you can render to your party at this critical juncture is to graciously step aside and allow the party to move on from this current quagmire," Fetzer wrote.

North Carolina Republican National Committeewoman Ada Fisher previously called for Steele's resignation, before the recent controversy.