RNC’s Top Lawyer, With Ties to DeSantis, Pushed Out

The Republican National Committee’s top lawyer—whose past work includes representing Ron DeSantis’ campaign against Donald Trump—has been ousted after just two months. The New York Times reports that knives were out for Charlie Spies nearly as soon as he took the job of chief counsel in March. His detractors stressed to Trump that Spies had worked for DeSantis and on behalf of other critics including Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney. But the fact that Spies did not take a leave from his firm, which still has ties to DeSantis, is reportedly what did him in. “Charlie approached RNC Chief of Staff, Chris LaCivita, about potential time commitment conflicts and it was agreed that, while we appreciate and value Charlie’s expertise and professionalism, he cannot do this role full time and still maintain the obligations to his law firm that he has spent years successfully building,” RNC spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told NBC News. DeSantis, once one of Trump’s most ardent fans, ran against him in the GOP primary for the 2024 nomination and flamed out. The two men recently met with the hopes that DeSantis would raise money for Trump, the Times says.