Former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Sunday she disagrees with former President Donald Trump's plan to release those charged and convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. said.
“Don't you agree with what President Trump said about releasing people who have been indicted?” asked NBC News' “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker.
“I do not believe that the people who committed the violent acts on January 6th should be released,” McDaniel responded.
“The violence that occurred on January 6th is unacceptable,” McDaniel added.
“It's not representative of our country,” McDaniel said.
“If you attacked the Capitol and were convicted, it should stay that way,” she added.
Still, McDaniel insisted: [Trump] He is responsible for the attack on the Capitol on January 6th.
He said Sunday that Biden won “fairly and squarely,” adding: “He is the legitimate president.”
The statement marks a clear change from last year's interview with Chris Wallace on CNN, when he refused to say the election was fair and that “there were a lot of problems in 2020.” There is.
“I think it's fair to say there were problems in 2020, and that doesn't mean he's not a legitimate president,” she added on Sunday, reiterating her previous position.
The former RNC chairman is accused of working with Trump to pressure Michigan election officials not to certify the 2020 presidential election there.
Looking ahead to the 2024 presidential election, McDaniel said funds donated to Trump's Community Chest Committee could flow first to the group that will pay Trump's legal costs, as long as donors are notified. He said he didn't mind.
“Is it appropriate for Donald Trump to ask donors to pay for his legal costs?” Welker asked.
“Well, I think as long as the donors know that's what they're doing,” McDaniel responded.
McDaniel said the “waterfall” of donations ensured that Save America remains a major vehicle for Trump's legal bill, and that both the Trump campaign and the RNC have filed a lawsuit against Trump, including four criminal charges. It stressed that this means it will not cover the costs of his legal problems. Mr. Trump has maintained his innocence.
According to donation forms obtained by NBC News, some of the donations to the Trump 47 Community Chest Committee first went to Save America PAC, an organization that handles Trump's legal costs, and then to the RNC and other organizations. It flows to the Republican Party in each state.
McDaniel also suggested earlier this year that Trump should be nominated as the Republican Party's “presumptive nominee” after the New Hampshire Republican primary, the second Republican nomination contest on the calendar. faced criticism as
On Sunday, he argued that the party was “neutral” during the primary process, citing last fall's Republican primary debate, which Trump refused to attend.
“Our primary was neutral. We debated,” she said, adding, “That's very important to our public discourse. Yes, I was neutral. But… As I said at the time, there was no math, there was no path, that was true. So we needed to harden and solidify behind the candidate.”
Still, McDaniel pointed out that President Trump, who did not attend the debate, did not support them in any capacity.
“There was a lot of tension in the campaign,” McDaniel said. “He really felt like he shouldn't have a debate. He said this in public. I got a lot of phone calls. '' he said.
A direct call from President Trump? Welker asked.
“Everyone in his campaign and I have talked to him,” McDaniel responded.
President Trump was absent from all primary debates, but has said he wants to take the stage in the general election to face off against President Joe Biden. But in 2022, the RNC voted to withdraw from presidential debates, an organization sanctioned by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the organization that has overseen the presidential debate process for decades.