RNC member floats draft resolutions to bar committee from paying Trump’s legal bills

A member of the Republican National Committee (RNC) floated two draft resolutions Saturday that would bar the committee from paying former President Trump’s mounting legal fees and ensure it stays neutral in the GOP primary race.

The resolutions, shared by Henry Barbour — an RNC member from Mississippi — were first reported by The Dispatch, and come as speculation surrounds Trump’s influence on the committee before a 2024 nominee is officially chosen.

Trump, who is the likely GOP nominee, recently tapped North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to serve as co-chairs of the committee. The current chair, Ronna McDaniel, signaled she would step down following Saturday’s South Carolina primary.

Lara Trump vowed earlier this month to spend “every single penny” of the RNC’s funds to help elect Trump to the Oval Office.

“Every single penny will go to the No. 1 and the only job of the RNC: That is electing Donald J. Trump as president of the United States and saving this country, she said. 

If enacted, Barbour’s proposal would prevent usage of funds to help with Trump’s legal bills — which are upwards of $500 million following verdicts in his New York civil fraud trial and E. Jean Carroll defamation cases.

“The Republican National Committee and its leadership will stay neutral throughout the Presidential primary and not take on additional staff from any of the active Presidential campaigns until a nominee is clearly determined by reaching 1,215 delegates,” part of the proposal said, according to NBC News.  

The other proposal, according to outlets, states: “Spending any RNC financial resources for any candidate’s personal, business, or political legal expenses, not related to the 2024 election cycle, does not serve the RNC’s primary mission of helping to elect our candidates in 2024.”

The former president’s two political action committees have already spent over $50 million on his legal fees last year, according to Federal Election Commission fillings. 

The proposals were not welcomed well by the Trump campaign. 

“The primary is over and it is the RNC’s sole responsibility to defeat Joe Biden and win back the White House,” Trump’s senior advisor Chris LaCivita said. “Efforts to delay that assist Joe Biden in the destruction of our nation. Republicans cannot stand on the sidelines and allow this to happen.”