Former President Donald Trump has been reshaping the Republican National Committee by stacking it with loyalists to his MAGA agenda.
He handpicked Michael Whatley — the former leader of the North Carolina GOP — to lead the committee. As for the co-chair, it's now his own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
Related story: Trump's 18-year-old son Barron declines to be RNC delegate, cites 'prior commitments'
Former RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was forced out after her relationship with Trump soured. Just weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, McDaniel initially said the RNC would be neutral in the 2024 primaries.
However, she found herself in hot water after Republicans' tepid showing during the 2022 midterm elections and the party's lackluster fundraising last year.
Trump was also reportedly dissatisfied with RNC lawyers after he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Virtually every lawsuit attempting to do so failed.
This all set up a dramatic makeover in the RNC. In addition to new leadership, dozens of others in the party were fired and its legal team was bulked up to prioritize election integrity.
Related story: Trump's invitation to donors prioritizes his legal bills over RNC
Despite a lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud in 2020, RNC lawyers have been active in filing dozens of election-related lawsuits across the country. NBC News asked Whatley about this, and he said they're trying "to get states to implement common-sense election integrity programs."
Meanwhile, Trump has said the RNC legal team will not cover the legal bills. But $5,000 from major contributions has gone to his political action committee Save America — which has, so far, covered all of Trump's legal bills.
