'Trump is out of money': Ex-comms official floats reason for ex-president's latest moves

Donald Trump only wants to take over the Republican National Committee so that he can use its coffers for his own benefit, according to a former official in the ex-president's administration.

Former White House communications chief Anthony Scaramucci said Wednesday that, if Trump has his way and reshapes the top RNC brass, it portends that he will seek to have it pay off his staggering legal bills.

"Trump is out of money which is why he is going hard at Ronna Romney so he can take over the RNC treasury," Scaramucci said.

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This goes along with what has been reported by POLITICO, which spoke to several senior Republican officials who fear that should the RNC adopt a co-chair situation where his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who worked as a TV producer and is married to his son, Eric, along with Michael Whatley, the RNC’s general counsel, it would translate into channeling its war chest to suit his wishes.

Currently, chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is considering stepping down from the post, sources privy to her plans told the outlet.

Whoever takes over must be backed by RNC members. Multiple members told the outlet that a meeting could formalize the co-chairs in March.

There is palpable fear that the legal bills, which already have burned through $52 million, will be an issue.

Mississippi committeeman, Henry Barbour, told Politico “most RNC members will go along” with Trump’s agenda, that is “unless there is a play to use RNC funds for President Trump’s legal bills.”

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for the committee to pay the legal bills for things done outside the work of the committee,” another committee member Oscar Brock said.

He noted that the RNC budget that passed two weeks ago in Las Vegas hadn't allocated funds to pay off the 45th president's legal fees.

That being said, if Trump were to ask, the RNC would likely amend its financial planning.

Meanwhile, Vermont committeeman Jay Shepard says there won't be any barriers for Trump.

“He will get what he wants at this RNC,” he said.

Senior adviser to Trump’s campaign Chris LaCivita, suggested that the RNC fronting the legal costs is "manufactured" and that he already has ample support from Trump's PAC Save America and directly from the president's pocketbook.

“President Trump made perfectly clear that the number one priority of the RNC was to stop cheating. And that will be reflected in the budget and that will be reflected in personnel and that will be reflected in activity,” he continued.

Already, the RNC paid two legal firms about $2 million for handling Trump cases in 2021 and 2022 before turning off the faucet after Trump launched his campaign for a second term.