Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday that it’s a bad idea to change the presidential nomination rules before the July convention because “it’s too complicated.”
In an interview Sunday morning on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Priebus conceded there are flaws in the GOP nominating process, but said he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for “serious” rules changes before the convention. He even admitted to calling committee members to urge them to balk on any changes for now.
“I think we’re in a politically charged environment. I think it’s too complicated,” Priebus said. “I think that the RNC rules committee going forward with making rules amendment suggestions, it is not a good idea. Because actually we cannot change anything — it’s up to the delegates at the convention, so the recommendations I think just confuse people.”
“I think it’s a bad idea and the environment … is not conducive to that,” he said.
Priebus said those flaws will get sorted out over time, but he said that doesn’t mean the entire system is “rigged.”
His comments came after another week of criticism from Donald Trump, who has said the nomination process is “rigged” by party insiders. Trump has complained about Ted Cruz’s ability to sweep all the delegates in Colorado and made inroads in other states where the delegates, not the voters, decide which candidate gets their support.
Cruz also picked up 14 delegates in the Wyoming state convention on Saturday.
It is nothing more than “rhetoric and hyperbole,” said Priebus, adding that “everyone understands” these rules because they have been in place for years and state conventions plans have been set since October of last year. Priebus stressed that he is not at odds with Trump, whom he said has a “plurality” of the votes, but needs a majority of the delegates to win the nomination.
