RNC chairwoman expresses regret over Giuliani news conference

The chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ronna Romney McDaniel, said in a new interview that she regrets letting former President Trump’s lawyers, namely Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, spread unproven claims about the 2020 election from the organization’s headquarters.

Speaking with The New York Times, McDaniel indicated she thought it had been a mistake to allow Giuliani and Powell to make the claims about election rigging days after the vote at the RNC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“When I saw some of the things Sidney was saying, without proof, I certainly was concerned it was happening in my building,” McDaniel told the newspaper. “There are a whole host of issues we had to deal with — what is the liability of the RNC, if these allegations are made and unfounded?”

During the Nov. 19 press conference at the RNC headquarters, lawyers for the former president including Powell and Giuliani claimed that Democrats had organized around the country to steal hundreds of thousands of votes in key battleground states including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. 

“This was not an individual idea of 10 or 12 Democrat bosses. This was a plan. You would have to be a fool not to realize that,” Giuliani said at the news conference, during which dark liquid ran down his face.

McDaniel in the new interview also offered thoughts about the GOP civil war between moderates who wish to break away from the former president and supporters of Trump, who have blamed the GOP at large for failing to remain loyal.

“If you have a family dispute, don’t go on ‘Jerry Springer,’” McDaniel said. “Do it behind closed doors. It’s my role to call them and explain that if we don’t keep our party united and focused on 2022, we will lose. If we are attacking fellow Republicans and cancel culture within our own party, it is not helpful to winning majorities.”