Regarding The Obvious

I think people may be underestimating the odds that Trump is forcing a family takeover of the RNC because he may soon need the RNC to fund his legal fees and cover fines imposed in the two civil cases.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 22, 2024

they've been paying a significant part of his legal bills. But most of it is coming from his campaign. so yes, donors are already picking up a lot of the tab. But that's close to tapped out I think. and the issue now is the fines.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 22, 2024

I don’t know what the appeal deadline is in the Carroll case (2nd). Trump paid the bond for appeal of the first case. The meeting to elect a new chair is in March; not soon enough, I think, for the Carroll 2nd appeal. He couldn’t move fast enough to get money out of the RNC to fund the second appeal. All of this apart from the attorney’s fees these appeals will cost, and 6 week criminal trial coming in March, too.

He might be able to hold off execution of that judgment if he can’t freeze it with a bond, at least for a short time. I’m quite sure he can’t bond out of the fraud judgment. Letitia James will come after him hammer and tongs. He won’t be able to raid the RNC for that much. 

These matters are moving faster than Trump’s takeover of the RNC, and won’t slow down so he can rob some piggy banks. And they won’t negotiate smaller amounts, or take $.10 on the dollar. Why should they?

Besides, many people might have standing to sue for the illegal appropriation of funds from the RNC. I’m thinking of big donors and even GOP candidates. Which might freeze RNC from spending any money, lest they spend it improperly. And certainly cause RNC to pay its own attorneys fees.

If Trump imagines the RNC is a slush fund, I think he’s sorely mistaken. It’s more reasonable to see it as campaign finance, so his Super PACs can pay his attorneys. 

I don’t think he can get third-party funding for the judgments at all. He may hope so; but I think those hopes will be dashed, like his last-ditch effort to fuck with the fraud judgment.