(WatchDogReport.org) – The Republican National Committee is reportedly slashing staff just days after former president Donald Trump seemingly took over its leadership team. More than 60 members of staff, including senior staff in communications, data, and political departments, were fired following Chair Ronna McDaniel’s departure.
Some employees were told to leave immediately, whereas others were given a month’s notice. Days before the layoffs began, the RNC elected Michael Whatley and Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as co-chairs. Whatley, a Trump loyalist, has served as chair of the North Carolina Republicans and RNC general counsel.
Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden have both passed delegate thresholds to secure their parties’ nominations, meaning the U.S. will see its first rematch in a presidential election in 70 years. Republican rival Nikki Haley and Democratic long-shot candidate Dean Phillips suspended their campaigns after Super Tuesday. Haley congratulated Trump but refused to state whether she would vote for him in the presidential election, saying that he would have to earn the votes of those who had not backed him.
The RNC’s new chief operating officer, Sean Cairncross, said that the new leadership of the committee was evaluating the organization and staff. He stated that certain staff were being asked to resign and reapply for new positions as part of the process. Chris LaCivita, senior campaign adviser for Trump, was named as the RNC’s new chief of staff.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) criticized the party’s layoffs. DNC’s rapid response director, Alex Floyd, said in a statement that firing nearly a third of staff in an “ideological purge” so close to a presidential election was not a good sign for the party. Georgia Republican Representative and Trump loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene praised the cuts, stating that they sent a clear message that the party was heading in the right direction. The approach is aimed at cutting back on bureaucracy at the RNC.
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