Days after bringing in a new leadership team led by former President Trump, the Republican National Committee (RNC) is reportedly cutting staff.
More than 60 people have been made redundant, including senior staff in politics, data and communications, following the resignation of former chairman Ronna McDaniel. Some were told they had to leave their jobs immediately, while others had until the end of the month, according to the Associated Press.
The cuts come days after the RNC on Friday selected Michael Whatley and Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump as its new chair and co-chair, respectively. Mr. Whatley is a former chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and the RNC General Counsel and is a Trump supporter.
The commission’s new chief operating officer, Sean Cairncross, has given notice to the employees who will be made redundant. “Mr. Whatley is in the process of evaluating the organization and staff to see if the building is aligned with his vision of how to win in November,” Cairncross said in an email to The Associated Press. I wrote.
He also spoke to Politico. first reported The news said some staff members were asked to “resign and reapply for positions on the team.”
The cuts would solidify Trump’s takeover of the committee, as he is likely to run as the Republican nominee against President Biden in November and has allies in the committee’s leadership.
Before her election, Lara Trump said she would use “every penny” of RNC money to re-elect Trump, and she reiterated that claim at the Republican Party’s spring meetings.
The big question going forward is whether the party will pay legal fees after former President Trump was ordered to pay more than $500 million in fines. He currently faces 91 felonies in four criminal indictments.
One member tried to block the committee’s offer to pay for the former president’s expenses, but the proposal failed to garner enough support across the RNC.
Trump campaign senior adviser Chris Lacivita said the cuts were aimed at eliminating duplication as the former president’s team and the RNC merged into one organization, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press noted that while the Trump campaign and RNC have worked together in the past, the firings signal an unprecedented level of integration between the two organizations.
The Hill has reached out to the RNC for further comment on the layoffs.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) issued a statement criticizing the firing of party members so close to the election.
“Laying nearly a third of your staff in a frenzied ideological purge less than eight months before the presidential election usually doesn’t bode well for a political party, but again, historically low fundraising numbers. “We will not record a record of defeat or repeat election defeat after election,” DNC rapid response director Alex Floyd said in a statement.
“Good luck to all the donors who have already written checks to the RNC this quarter. If you hurry, you may still be able to cancel,” Floyd added.
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