The Republican National Committee (RNC) sent a letter accusing the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) of acting in a partisan-manner, pointing out the “significant errors” that took place during the debates of former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
The RNC threatened to urge GOP candidates not to participate in future debates unless the CPD undergoes reforms to ensure that the commission will work in the bipartisan and impartial manner that was intended.
In the letter from the RNC Chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, she stated that the CPD’s “repeated missteps and the partisan actions of its Board Members make clear that the organization no longer provides the fair and impartial forum for presidential debates which the law requires and the American people deserve.”
She pointed out that the CPD had waited to host the first Trump-Biden debate until after eight states had begun early voting, decided to host the debates through a virtual format which the Trump campaign had not agreed to, and moderated the debates in a partisan manner.
McDaniel also pointed out that six out of ten of the CPD’s Board of Directors made derogatory comments about Trump, which she referred to as “appalling.”
“What began as a nonpartisan organization fulfilling a critical role in the electoral process has now seemingly transformed into a cushy, multi-million dollar club with no accountability and little commitment to partisan balance or fairness,” She stated, asking the commission to “undertake meaningful reforms and work with stakeholders to restore the faith and legitimacy it has lost.”
She called on the commission to enact term limits on its board of directors, direct staff not to make any public comments about candidates, host at least one debate before early voting begins, and be publicly transparent about moderator selection processes.
McDaniel warned the CPD that if meaningful reforms are not seriously considered, the RNC “will have no choice but to advise future Republican candidates against participating in CPD-hosted debates, and the RNC will look for other options for its candidates to debate the issues before the American people in a neutral and nonpartisan forum.”
