WASHINGTON — (CNN) Rules Committee meetings at the Republican National Convention were abruptly delayed Thursday morning as different factions fighting over Donald Trump and control of the party huddled privately to work out a deal — but they were unable to reach agreement to avoid a series of uncomfortable fights.
Scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., RNC officials told reporters the delays — at first until 10 a.m. then to 1 p.m. — were the result of a “broken printer” and “technical difficulties.”
Reporters then viewed power brokers on efforts to unbind delegates and to challenge the power of the RNC go into a side room, where they holed up for three hours.
The talks were attempts to strike a deal to prevent an ugly and messy fight over the rules and the unresolved question of whether delegates can be unbound — an effort to prevent Trump from clinching the nomination on the first ballot.
Former Ted Cruz delegate director Ken Cuccinelli was in the middle of all of it, as he pushed a series of rules changes aimed at weakening the RNC and closing primaries and caucuses in 2020 from non-Republicans.
The participants in the meeting were tight-lipped about what took place, but it wrapped shortly before the expected 1 p.m. new start time.
“I think the printer will be fixed,” Washington delegate Graham Hunt said after walking out of the closed-door negotiating session.
Gaveling the session back in shortly after 1 p.m., Rules Committee Chairwoman Enid Mickelsen acknowledged the obvious: the RNC’s office supplies are working just fine.
“Obviously we did not stand adjourned for three hours because of a jammed copier,” Mickelsen said.
“During the pause as we were trying to get all of this together, we were approached by a number of members … who asked if they could have a period of time who asked if they could work out their differences. … I don’t know what they have or have not decided,” Mickelson said, saying she was committed to moving on regardless.
Testing the power of the RNC
As the proceedings finally commenced four hours after the scheduled start time, they began with the first section of RNC rules, which govern the RNC itself.
For hours, two obvious factions debated a series of changes to the rules.
On the one side, grassroots activists on the Rules Committee sought to take power away from the RNC however it could. On the other, loyalists and supporters of the party, along with supporters of Donald Trump, fought back.
In one of the biggest test votes of the effort, longtime Rules Committee member Morton Blackwell, who was in the meeting with Cuccinelli earlier in the day, proposed doing away entirely with a rule that allows the RNC to amend the party rules within two years of the convention with a supermajority vote.
The effort failed a rare recorded vote, 23-86.
That’s short of even the 28-member threshold to register a minority opinion on the full convention floor next week.
The effort failed even with the support of Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who also was in the meeting with Blackwell and Cuccinelli, as well as delegate unbinding effort leader Kendal Unruh.
Lee had been thought to have an important influence on the Rules Committee, as a sitting senator and a reputation as an unbiased broker on these issues.
Though unbinding had not yet come up on Thursday, the vote indicated the effort may have a hard time succeeding.
Seeking unity among Republicans
Delegates and staff leaving the meeting were tight-lipped after the side sessions Thursday morning.
Cuccinelli refused to say anything to the press. Lee and his wife, also a Rules delegate, walked out with Unruh, and the group remained silent.
Hunt and Maryland delegate Jim Crawford struck a positive tone, without saying what was discussed in the closed rooms. “Very pleased” was how Hunt described his feelings.
“I think everybody involved is doing a good job and we all have the intentions of trying to ensure this is a smooth convention and I think everyone involved is trying to ensure the future of the party,” Hunt said.
“We’ll have some unity. We’ll definitely have unity,” Crawford said. “It was just a good discussion about unity, you know.
Changes.” Crawford would not answer what he meant by changes.
Trump’s campaign is keeping its distance for the moment.
Campaign chairman Paul Manafort said “we’re not involved in it” when asked about the negotiations.
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(Photo: CNN)
