Newly appointed RNC Chair Michael Whatley issued a three-page memo to staff on Thursday night, highlighting the organization's renewed emphasis on voter turnout, fostering unity with the Trump campaign, and prioritizing election integrity.
The Republican National Committee, under President Trump's influence, is undergoing further transformation into the party apparatus aligned with his vision, Whatley indicated.
“Every tool that the other side has used, we need to wield for ourselves,” Whatley said in the memo, obtained by NPR.
In the memo, James Blair, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, is revealed as the political director for both the RNC and the campaign, while lawyer Charlie Spies will assume the role of Chief Counsel for the RNC. Whatley outlined in the memo the objective of tailoring efforts to individual states, recognizing the unique characteristics of each state and the necessity to transition towards more localized, precinct-level organizing, emphasizing neighbor-to-neighbor engagement.
In terms of political operations, Whatley informed staff about the intention to prioritize organizing efforts in communities that traditionally do not align with the Republican Party. The RNC aims to introduce a ‘Grow the Vote' program aimed at engaging nontraditional Republican voters and individuals with low propensity to vote, as outlined in the memo.
Briefly after Whatley and Lara Trump, President Trump’s daughter-in-law and RNC Co-Chair, assumed their positions, over 60 individuals were terminated, which included senior staff from the political data and communications departments.
Whatley also stressed the RNC's commitment to enhancing programs related to early voting, absentee ballot and mail-in programs, and ballot harvesting where legally permissible. This includes the continuation of initiatives like the Bank Your Vote campaign, which encourages voters to submit their ballots early, despite Trump's reservations about the legitimacy of mail-in voting. These areas of voting have historically been met with skepticism and criticism from Republicans.
The RNC is expanding its legal counsel team to support its election integrity initiatives. Whatley disclosed that Christina Bobb, who previously worked as an attorney for President Trump, will now serve as senior counsel for election integrity.
Additionally, Bill McGinley, a seasoned election attorney who held the position of Cabinet secretary in the Trump White House, will be taking on the role of outside counsel for election integrity.
Whatley outlined that the election integrity-related priorities encompass a wider effort in the upcoming months to legally challenge signature verification and voter identification rules that were implemented for the 2020 election.
Whatley outlined that the election integrity-related priorities include “a broader effort over the coming months to [legally] challenge voter identification and signature verification rules which were put into place for the 2020 election.”
