Nikki Haley Warns Trump Trying to Use RNC Money for Legal Bills

On Friday, Haley said on CNN that she worries the former president is attempting to take control of the Republican National Committee’s funds to help pay off his legal bills. She alleged that he would continue doing this if he became president again.

Main goal

“He’s trying to control the RNC,” Haley claimed, “so that he has an arm to pay his legal fees.”

Huge fines

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Just hours before Haley said this, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay over $350 million as punishment for years of providing fraudulent valuations of his net worth. Weeks before, Trump was ordered to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million for defaming her.

Legal bills

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According to a New York Times report released in January, two of Trump’s political action committees spent about $50 million on his legal expenses in 2023.

No comparison

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For context, $50 million is about how much Nikki Haley raised in 2023. In 2021 and 2022, one of Trump’s PACs spent $16 million on Trump’s legal fees.

Avoiding his own cash

According to the New York Times, Trump “has long been loath to pay lawyers himself and has a history of stiffing those who represent him.”

Diverting funds

The New York Times also reported that Trump “has been directing 10 percent of donations raised online to Save America, meaning 10 cents of every dollar he has received from supporters is going to a PAC that chiefly funds his lawyers.”

Making claims

“My biggest issue is, I don’t want the RNC to become, you know, his legal defense fund,” Haley said. “I don’t want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases.”

Risky tactic

Haley alleged that Trump is attempting to “control” the RNC in order to “continue to not have to pay his own legal fees.”

Hostile takeover

A few days before Haley made her comments, Trump formally endorsed three loyalists for key leadership roles at the RNC. He endorsed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as a replacement for longtime RNC chair Ronna McDaniel.

No good

Haley argued that the “RNC is practically broke now, anyways.” If Trump diverts its funds to pay his bills, Republican candidates will be left fighting races without any money.

Need to be scared

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“That’s the fear that every Republican should have, because we won’t win anything if he goes down that path,” Haley warned.

Staying on top

Haley also argued that Trump “tried to get me out of the race so that he could be the presumptive nominee.”

Lagging behind

Nikki Haley Addressing the public — Illustration. Image by Samael1986 via Depositphotos.com

Despite some notable endorsements, Haley has never come close to Trump in either polls or the results of the first few primaries in the Republican presidential primary campaign. At the time she made her comments, Haley trailed Trump with 17 delegates to his 63.

Clear lead

According to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, on Feb 17 Trump’s lead had grown to over 76%. Haley, meanwhile, had just 16.4% support.

Results don’t lie

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In Iowa, Trump took home 51% of the vote, while Haley received just 19.1%. In New Hampshire, Trump received 54.3% and Haley 43.2%.

Embarrassing loss

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In Nevada’s symbolic, non-official primary, Haley embarrassingly lost to “none of these candidates.” Trump won the election that actually determined delegates with 99.1% of the vote.

Big showdown

The next major date is Feb 24, the day of the South Carolina primary. If Haley’s campaign has any chance of staying alive, she needs to perform well in her home state. However, FiveThirtyEight has Trump leading with over 63% to Haley’s 31.5%.