New RNC chairman declares ‘a united front’ with Trump after sweeping changes

Michael Whatley, a Donald J. Trump ally who took over the Republican National Committee last week, celebrated a series of major changes to the committee in a memo Thursday, declaring that the party would be “a unified operation and a united front.” ” with Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign.

Mr. Whatley was unanimously elected chairman of the committee on Friday, with Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law, as his co-chairman. A whirlwind of changes soon followed, with much of the party apparatus being reorganized from top to bottom.

On Monday, the new leadership team dismantled the committee and cut ties with more than 60 officials, including senior staff. On Tuesday, Christina Bobb, a self-described 2020 election denier and conspiracy theorist on Trump’s legal team, said she is joining as a senior adviser for election integrity.

“I am very pleased to say that my first week as chairman of the Republican National Committee has been a great week,” Mr. Whatley began the memo, which was sent to RNC members and obtained by The New York . Time.

Mr. Whatley also announced that the RNC was “merging operations with the Trump campaign,” adding that James Blair, a Trump campaign official, would wear two hats as political director of both the committee and the Trump campaign.

That announcement formalized a merger that had been unfolding since Monday, when it was reported that much of the party’s operations would be moved to Palm Beach, Florida, the base for the Trump campaign.

Charlie Spies, a Republican lawyer and a main fundraiser for Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, will also take over as chief counsel for the RNC, according to the memo.

As some Republicans have expressed concern that Mr. Trump would use committee money to pay his legal bills, Mr. Whatley said the RNC should “make sure that every penny of every dollar is spent on one thing: winning.” Winning seats in the House of Representatives, winning seats in the Senate and winning the presidency.” Before taking over as co-chair, Mrs. Trump had said she would be open to the idea of ​​the committee paying Mr. Trump’s legal bills.

Mr. Whatley’s memo also set a goal of building “the most effective election integrity program that has ever existed to secure our elections.” Ms. Bobb, who now leads that effort, has for years relentlessly promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Mr. Trump, first as a host at the far-right One America News Network and continuing after she became a lawyer for Mr. Trump. Bill McGinley, that one served as Cabinet Secretary during the Trump administration, will also join the team as an external advisor on election integrity.

One of the election integrity team’s goals, according to Mr. Whatley’s memo, will be an “aggressive, proactive effort to ensure voting is easy and difficult to cheat.” The memo mentions challenging some of the voting rules put in place for the 2020 election, suggesting the national party could contribute to conservative efforts to tighten voting laws, as well as efforts by Trump allies to vote large numbers challenge voter registrations in critical battleground states. , ahead of the 2024 elections.

The RNC sued Michigan on Wednesday to make cuts to the state’s voter rolls, arguing that it is not doing so. “bloated with ineligible voters.” Mr. Whatley highlighted that lawsuit in the memo and said there will be “many more” to come.