JUST IN: RNC Stands By Trump, Keeps Pledge To Support Nominee As Qualifier For Debates After Hutchinson Requested ‘Convicted Felon’ Exception

The Republican National Committee has shut down the idea by one Republican presidential candidate that debate participants should not be required to support former President Donald Trump if he is the nominee, with the party’s leadership body saying Thursday it will stand by Trump no matter the outcome of his criminal cases.

According to sources who spoke with POLITICO, staff members for former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson met privately with members of the RNC to air their candidate’s complaint about having to be supportive of a “convicted felon” presidential nominee in order to qualify for the party’s first debate in August. RNC representatives told Hutchinson’s staff that no changes will be made.

From POLITICO:

In a statement, RNC senior adviser Richard Walters said the GOP primary candidates are only “being asked to respect the decision of Republican primary voters and support the eventual nominee.”

“Candidates who are complaining about this to the press should seriously reconsider their priorities and whether they should even be running,” Walters said.

The RNC’s commitment to party unity is not the only qualification for candidates to participate in debates. Republican contenders must also demonstrate a breadth of grassroots donors and meet benchmarks in national polls. The reforms come roughly eight years after a Republican presidential primary that was so crowded it required two debate stages in order to accommodate all candidates.

With its latest move, the RNC is sure to open up criticism that it is unfairly weighing the scales in favor of President Trump. In a statement to POLITICO, Gov. Hutchinson stood by his assessment that the former president’s 37-count indictment is a nonstarter for his support if he is convicted ahead of the 2024 general election.

“I’m not going to vote for him if he’s a convicted felon,” Hutchinson said in the interview. “‘I’m not going to vote for him if he’s convicted of espionage, and I’m not going to vote for him if he’s (convicted of) other serious crimes. And I’m not going to support him.”

“They need to put a little rationality to what is said in that oath or that pledge,” Hutchinson continued, referring to the RNC.

No other Republican candidate would go on the record to defend Hutchinson’s move, and the only to respond to an inquiry was the campaign for former Vice President Mike Pence which said having President Trump on the stage will make for a “good contrast.”

President Trump, for his part, has suggested he may skip the debate stage altogether, bragging, “I’m up by too many points.” He leads his nearest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, by nearly 40 points according to the latest polls of Republican voters.