The Republican National Committee (RNC) has responded to a cease-and-desist letter sent by former President Donald Trump’s attorneys this weekend demanding the organization stop using his name and likeness in fundraising efforts.
The GOP “has every right to refer to public figures as it engages in core, First Amendment-protected political speech, and it will continue to do so in pursuit of these common goals,” RNC chief counsel Justin Riemer wrote Monday in a letter to Trump attorney Alex Cannon, Politico reported.
Over the weekend, Trump’s legal counsel sent a cease-and-desist letter to the RNC, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) insisting the organizations stop using Trump for fundraising.
That letter orders the various GOP campaign arms to “immediately cease-and-desist the unauthorized use of President Donald J. Trump’s name, image and/or likeness in all fundraising, persuasion, and/or issue speech,” according to Politico.
Despite the request, the RNC recently used Trump’s name in fundraising endeavors. A pair of Trump-themed fundraising emails sent over the weekend and on Monday requested donors “defend President Trump’s Legacy,” Politico reported.
Former President Donald Trump issued another statement in his battle with the leadership of the Republican Party on Monday.
“No more money for RINOS,” the former president said in a statement, referring to “Republicans in name only.”
“They do nothing but hurt the Republican Party and our great voting base — they will never lead us to Greatness. Send your donation to Save America PAC at DonaldJTrump.com,” he instructed.
“We will bring it all back stronger than ever before!” Trump concluded.
Trump’s attorneys had issued similar demands to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
In the midst of this public wrangling over the use of his name and likeness, Trump got the RNC to agree to move part of the party’s Palm Beach donor retreat in April to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida. Reimer referred to the agreement when he said in his letter that RNC chair Ronna McDaniel had spoken to Trump over the weekend and gotten his approval for their use of his name and likeness.
Trump’s critics pounced on the news to accuse him of swindling money out of his followers.
This is an excerpt from The Daily Caller.
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