Trump's Legal Bills Should Not Be Paid By The RNC, Says Committeeman: Spend Funds 'Solely On Winning Elections'

A member of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is reportedly taking steps to obstruct Donald Trump’s attempted takeover of the organization.

What Happened: Henry Barbour, a national committeeman from Mississippi, is circulating two draft resolutions aimed at preserving the committee’s neutrality until Trump is officially the presidential nominee and to stop the RNC from covering Trump’s legal expenses, reported AP News.

The resolutions are due for consideration at the RNC’s upcoming meeting in Houston in March. Barbour indicated that support for the resolutions is growing among RNC members, but he has not yet secured the necessary cosponsors. The resolutions, if passed, would be nonbinding.

“The RNC has one job. That's winning elections,” said Barbour, according to the report. “I believe RNC funds should be spent solely on winning elections, on political expenses, not legal bills."

This move follows Trump’s public call for the replacement of the RNC’s current leaders and the appointment of his senior campaign advisor and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in top roles. Lara Trump had previously suggested that GOP voters would support the committee paying Trump’s legal bills as he faces multiple criminal and civil indictments.

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However, Chris LaCivita, Trump’s senior campaign advisor, clarified that the RNC would not cover Trump’s legal expenses. He stressed that the RNC’s sole responsibility is to defeat Joe Biden and reclaim the White House.

One of Barbour’s proposed resolutions stipulates that the RNC and its leadership will remain neutral throughout the presidential primary and will not hire additional staff from any active campaigns until a candidate has secured the necessary delegates to be the nominee.

The second resolution asserts that the organization will not cover the legal expenses of any candidate for federal or state office, but will instead focus its spending on efforts directly related to the 2024 election.

Barbour emphasized that the RNC’s primary job is to win elections and that its funds should be used solely for political expenses, not legal bills.

Why It Matters: This development comes amid a backdrop of escalating legal costs for Trump. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has warned that Trump’s rising financial liabilities could make him “thoroughly compromised.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team has recently requested a 30-day extension to pay a $355 million business fraud verdict against him. In response to these financial pressures, Trump supporters have initiated a GoFundMe campaign to cover his legal costs.

Photo by Evan El-Amin on Shutterstock

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