A group of GOP lawmakers at the US House of Representatives in Congress have urged the Republican National Committee (RNC) to cut ties with Donald Trump, joining a growing list of party members who oppose the Republican presidential nominee.
Representatives Scott Rigell of Virginia and Reid Ribble of Wisconsin were among over 120 current and former GOP officials who signed an anti-Trump letter to the RNC on Tuesday.
The signatories, including 10 former House or Senate members and 27 former RNC staffers, urged the committee to stop providing the New York billionaire with resources before his “losing” campaign harms “Senate and House races.”
“Given the catastrophic impact that Donald Trump’s losing presidential campaign will have on down-ballot Senate and House races, we urge you to immediately suspend all discretionary RNC support for Trump and focus the entirety of the RNC’s available resources on preserving the GOP’s congressional majorities,” a draft of the letter read.
Rigell has publicly endorsed Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson’s bid for the White House. Ribble has also indicated that he is considering voting for the Libertarian nominee.
A series of missteps by Trump over the past few weeks has put him behind his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, stirring doubts among analysts and party leaders about his ability to ever recover and refocus his campaign.
Earlier this month, more than 70 GOP lawmakers and operatives signed a similar letter, demanding the RNC withdraw its funding from Trump’s campaign and direct its resources to protecting Republican majorities in Congress.
Some disenchanted conservatives have circulated a petition calling for the RNC to hold a special meeting to replace the real estate mogul as the party's presidential nominee.
The RNC, however, has reiterated its support for Trump, denying several reports of an ultimatum by Chairman Reince Priebus’s to Trump to either refocus his campaign or risk losing the party’s support.
Despite the wave of bad publicity, a joint fundraiser by Trump and the RNC raised more than $80 million in July, marking a significant rise from previous months.
Posts
