Rules Committee Chairman Bruce Ash is one of the lead Republicans looking to change the landscape of the Cleveland Republican Convention held in July, facing off against Republican National Committee Chairman, Reince Priebus.
The rule change would be a switch from the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, which has been used at Republican national conventions for decades, and switch it to something similar to Robert’s Rules of Order, which is common in civic and organizational meetings.
The proposal was developed by Solomon Yue, an RNC member from Oregon, and it would empower delegates to determine the course of the convention’s proceedings.
Under the Yue’s proposal it would be more difficult for the political establishment to push through a “white knight” candidate who didn’t participate in the primary season.
Ash has been critical of Priebus, who he says is quashing the proposals because he and others at the RNC want the convention to be open to other candidates after the first ballot.
“It became apparent to me during the discussions with Reince and others at the RNC that there might be an underlying political result that adherence to the House Rules achieved, and that Roberts made more difficult,” Ash wrote in an email.
He continued, describing the decision to table the proposal as a “major breach of trust.”
The internal power struggle comes a few days before major Republican leaders are set to meet in Hollywood, Florida between April 20-22 to make recommendations about rulings that can be changed in the week leading up to the convention.
