Ronna McDaniel: RNC to Prohibit Presidential Nominees from Participating in CPD Debates

Ronna McDaniel, chairperson of the Republican National Committee (RNC), told the Committee on Presidential Debates (CPD) it will prohibit its presidential nominees from participating in CPD debates, Breitbart News learned Thursday.

After years of the CPD selecting biased establishment media personalities to moderate presidential debates, the RNC announced it will change its rules during its winter meeting to disallow Republican nominees’ participation in an unfair and partial forum for presidential debates.

“So long as the CPD appears intent on stonewalling the meaningful reforms necessary to restore its credibility with the Republican Party as a fair and nonpartisan actor, the RNC will take every step to ensure that future Republican presidential nominees are given that opportunity elsewhere,” the RNC wrote to the presidential debate committee.

“Accordingly, the RNC will initiate the process of amending the Rules of the Republican Party at our upcoming Winter Meeting to prohibit future Republican nominees from participating in CPD-sponsored debates,” the RNC continued.

“We are especially frustrated with the CPD’s refusal to enact reforms aimed at ensuring nonpartisanship by claiming that doing so would somehow render the organization more partisan,” the letter read.

The RNC’s letter also outlined contingent rule changes should the CPD wish to reform:

Establish transparent criteria for selecting debate moderators that would disqualify individuals from consideration who have apparent conflicts of interest due to personal, professional, or partisan factors; and

Enact a transparent code of conduct for moderators in conducting debates, including guidelines for appropriate interactions with the participating nominees, with meaningful penalties for violations.

The so-called nonpartisan CPD was founded jointly by the Republican and Democrat parties in 1987. It is not yet clear what will replace the CPD in its role of organizing and producing presidential and vice presidential debates.

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