Haley says Trump should not be allowed to use RNC as 'piggy bank' for legal fees

With former President Donald Trump recently floating ideas on how to restructure the Republican National Committee (RNC), his GOP primary rival, Nikki Haley, has voiced concerns that traditional priorities could be kicked out in favor of using the entity as a “piggy bank” to pay his mounting legal bills, as Fox News reports.

Haley made her worries known during an interview on CNN in which she suggested that Trump could end up diverting donor funds to his own uses to the detriment of the party.

Haley lets loose

Referencing reports that Trump has big plans to reform the structure and operation of the RNC, Haley told Kaitlan Collins that everyone should wary of what could happen.

“My biggest issue is I don't want the RNC to become his legal defense fund,” Haley began.

She continued, “I don't want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases. We've already seen him spend $50 million worth of campaign contributions toward his personal court cases.”

Noting recent reports of Trump's desire to install new leadership atop the RNC, Haley added, “Now we see him trying to get control of the RNC, so he can continue not to have to pay his own legal fees.”

Though the RNC revealed in the past that it had paid some Trump legal fees it said related “to politically motivated legal proceedings,” it also said in 2022 that it would no longer contribute to legal fees once the former president declared his candidacy for the 2024 race.

Trump's vision

As the Associated Press reported, amid recent reports that RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel was likely to step down in the near future, Trump announced the names of those he would like to step into key roles at the organization.

In McDaniel's place, Trump is said to prefer Michael Whatley, currently serving as the chair of the North Carolina Republican Party.

The former president also indicated his desire to see his daughter-in-law, Laura Trump, rise to the position of RNC co-chair.

Ready to serve

Though Donald Trump's expressed support for Lara Trump to take an active role in the RNC's leadership ruffled feathers across the spectrum – undoubtedly including Haley's – the putative co-chair appears more than willing to enter the fray, as The Hill reports.

Declaring that she would be “honored” to accept such a position, Lara Trump put a strong emphasis on financial management, saying that “a lot of money” is needed to put her father-in-law back in the White House and that she would ensure that “every single penny” is directed toward that effort and not spent on questionable priorities as she says has happened in the past.