At least one member of the Republican National Committee, Henry Barbour, is working to slow Donald Trump’s attempted takeover of the organization. Barbour is pushing for the committee to remain neutral until Trump is officially the presidential nominee and to avoid picking up his legal bills. Two draft resolutions are being circulated for consideration at the RNC’s upcoming March meeting in Houston. Barbour’s proposed resolutions state that the RNC should remain neutral throughout the presidential primary and not take on additional staff from any active campaigns until a candidate has the needed delegates to be the nominee. Additionally, the resolutions assert that the RNC will not pay the legal bills of any candidate for federal or state office, but will instead focus its spending on efforts directly related to the 2024 election.
Trump publicly called to replace the RNC’s current leaders and install one of his senior campaign advisors, Chris LaCivita, as the party’s chief operating officer. However, LaCivita stated that the RNC would not pay Trump’s legal bills, emphasizing that the organization’s primary responsibility is to defeat Joe Biden and win back the White House. Barbour believes that RNC funds should be spent solely on winning elections and political expenses, not legal bills, and that efforts to delay this goal are detrimental to the nation.
The RNC was previously paying some of Trump’s legal bills for New York cases that began while he was president, but current Chair Ronna McDaniel announced in November 2022 that the RNC would stop paying once Trump became a candidate again for the 2024 presidential election. Trump is facing multiple civil and criminal cases and has accumulated legal debts exceeding half a billion dollars. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s last major challenger in the GOP primary, expressed concern about a family member or campaign manager leading the RNC, emphasizing the importance of putting individuals in the organization who will act in the best interest of the entire Republican Party.
Barbour’s resolutions aim to ensure that the RNC remains neutral and focused on winning elections rather than getting involved in individual candidates’ legal battles. The resolutions come in response to Trump’s attempts to assert control over the organization and pressure the RNC into paying his legal bills. Despite growing support for the resolutions among RNC members, Barbour still needs additional cosponsors to move them forward. The RNC’s upcoming March meeting in Houston will provide a platform for further discussion and potential action on these resolutions and the broader issue of the organization’s role in the 2024 election.
