Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, stated to CNN on Sunday that the group would be unable to cover former President Trump’s legal costs should he decide to run for president in 2024.
Last year, the RNC’s executive committee acknowledged paying legal fees “that relate to politically motivated legal proceedings waged against President Trump,” and more recently, the committee has paid for Trump’s defense against inquiries made by the Democratic candidates for attorney general of New York, Letitia James and Cy Vance Jr. of Manhattan (D).
When CNN’s Dana Bash questioned McDaniel about whether the RNC would stop paying Trump’s legal fees if he decided to run for president again, McDaniel responded that the organization “cannot pay legal expenditures for any candidate that’s announced.”
“We are unable to cover the cost of any candidate’s announced legal defense. The Letitia James case began when he was president, therefore these legislation are a result of that, McDaniel said. Our executive committee decided for our prior president that this probe was politically motivated, and that’s exactly what it has been.
But at this time, we are unable to make in-kind contributions to any candidates. He is the former president who is the target of numerous legal attacks, and he undoubtedly raised more money through the RNC than we did for these bills, she continued.
According to reports, Trump is thinking of announcing his candidacy for president right after the midterm elections. The RNC has stated in the past that it will play no part in the 2024 GOP primary.
In a criminal tax fraud case being prosecuted by Vance’s office, the former president’s corporation is accused of evading taxes and reaping rewards for some of its senior employees during a 15-year period. The Trump Organization went on trial last week.
The former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, pled guilty in August and consented to testify as a key witness in the case in exchange for a five-month sentence.
James has also filed a civil action against Trump, alleging that Trump’s business overstated and deflated asset values for tax and insurance benefits.
Republicans in general and members of the Trump family have called the investigation a “witch hunt,” citing James’s references to looking into Trump during campaign rallies.
Trump has publicly stated he will make an announcement “very soon,” according to a report from Axios published on Friday. Trump and his team are considering Nov. 14 as a potential launch date for his 2024 campaign.
McDaniel responded that she didn’t know when Bash questioned if Trump will make an announcement soon. In the present, McDaniel admitted, “I don’t even know what I’m doing for Thanksgiving, let alone thinking about 2024.”
