This has enraged MAGA world.
Former Governor Asa Hutchinson (R-Arkansas) has voiced concerns regarding the financial support for former President Trump’s legal expenses, urging the leader of the Republican National Committee (RNC) to commit to not utilizing the organization’s resources for this purpose. Hutchinson, who recently withdrew from his presidential candidacy against Trump, emphasized on a social media platform his stance that individuals vying for leadership roles within the RNC should pledge against diverting its limited funds towards covering Trump’s legal fees and settlements.
Hutchinson’s remarks come in the wake of a New York court’s ruling ordering Trump to pay a substantial sum exceeding $355 million for his involvement in manipulating his net worth and asset valuations to gain tax and insurance advantages. Additionally, Trump faces an $83.3 million defamation penalty following allegations made by columnist E. Jean Carroll, whom he repeatedly denied assaulting.
Recent disclosures from federal election filings have revealed that Trump’s fundraising entities disbursed close to $30 million toward his legal defense during the latter half of 2023. This has prompted widespread apprehension among Republicans regarding the potential exploitation of the RNC’s resources to alleviate Trump’s escalating legal burdens, particularly after Trump publicly endorsed Michael Whatley, the chairman of the North Carolina GOP, and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump for leadership positions within the committee.
Concerns heightened further when Lara Trump expressed her intention to allocate every available dollar from the RNC’s coffers toward supporting her father-in-law’s reelection bid if she assumes a co-chair role. Trump’s recent legal setbacks, culminating in over $500 million in combined penalties, threaten to significantly dent his wealth, potentially affecting 16 to 19 percent or more of his estimated net worth, which experts approximate to be between $2.6 to $3.1 billion.
Nikki Haley, the sole remaining contender against Trump in the Republican presidential race, echoed these apprehensions during an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Haley cautioned against Trump’s potential efforts to exploit the RNC as his personal “legal defense fund” following his endorsement of candidates within the committee. She emphasized the importance of preserving the financial integrity of the RNC, expressing her reluctance to witness it transform into Trump’s “piggy bank,” especially given the organization’s already strained financial status.