密歇根州共和党主席告诉美国广播公司新闻，共和党全国委员会在一定程度上参与了一项实施提名程序变革的计划，批评者认为这有利于前总统唐纳德·特朗普。
根据美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)审查的提案草案，密歇根州共和党官员周六晚上闭门投票通过了一项“意向决议”，该决议将在初选之夜分发密歇根州55名代表中的16名，其余39名代表将在四天后通过党团会议选出。这一过程可能有利于特朗普，因为它将代表的最大份额限制在一个特别参与的党团会议团体，预计该团体将对前总统友好。
该州党主席克里斯蒂娜·卡拉莫(Kristina Karamo)在2022年竞选国务卿的失败中获得了特朗普的支持，她表示，国家党领导人在密歇根州的总统提名竞争中扮演了提出分裂轨道的角色。
卡拉莫说:“我们与整个RNC团队、RNC法律团队合作，所以这不是我们自己刚刚想出的一些繁琐的计划。”。
“我们与RNC的领导团队进行了交谈，以确保这是一个经过深思熟虑的适当过程，”她补充道。
当被问及她是否专门与RNC主席罗娜·麦克丹尼尔(Ronna McDaniel)谈论过这项提议时，卡拉莫说:“我确实和她谈过了。罗娜·麦克丹尼尔在特朗普2016年崛起期间担任密歇根州党主席。是的，当然。”
当被联系征求意见时，RNC指示ABC新闻查阅其代表遴选计划指南。
“每个州必须在10月1日之前让RNC知道他们选举、挑选、分配和约束代表的计划。我们期待审查每个州和地区的计划，”委员会发言人艾玛·沃恩说。
但在那之前，该提议只是一个愿望清单——一名RNC官员向美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)强调，在更广泛的委员会于今年12月审查并批准每个州令人反感的代表选举计划之前，一切都没有最终确定。这名官员获准匿名自由讨论这一过程。
这位RNC官员还表示，它与密歇根州共和党的对话侧重于规则和程序方面的指导，而不是卡拉莫具体计划的实质和语言——这是国家党在开始制定代表选举的前进道路时向每个州提供的指导。
批评人士警告说，重组后的代表遴选计划可能会让天平向特朗普倾斜。
“它只限制以前当选的选区代表参与，”该州前副主席迈克尔·肖斯塔克告诉美国广播公司新闻。“选区代表绝大多数是特朗普的支持者。”
一位熟悉阿肯色州州长阿萨·哈钦森的消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，尽管密歇根州共和党多次试图讨论拟议的变革，但他的竞选团队没有联系上他。
卡拉莫与特朗普的关系可能会损害她说服一些共和党候选人和选民改变是公正的能力。
密歇根大学杰拉尔德·福特公共政策学院的讲师乔纳森·汉森说:“我认为它确实有这个潜力。”。"这增加了人们对牌堆有点过重的怀疑."
商人和2024年共和党总统候选人史蒂夫·拉菲称密歇根州党的决定“违背逻辑”并且“被操纵”
“在党团会议上选择70%的代表，而不是基于初选投票，这是违反逻辑的，”拉菲告诉美国广播公司新闻。“众所周知，唐纳德·特朗普在密歇根州的地方政党官员中非常受欢迎。这只是另一个试图阻止人民意愿的明目张胆的举动。”
尽管如此，拉菲说，他无意接触密歇根州的政党官员来表达他的担忧，而是选择将精力集中在“公平公开的初选过程”上。
据肖斯塔克说，在提出该计划的闭门会议上，缔约国成员被推销为RNC已经批准的新程序，他当时不在房间里，但后来听取了简报。
肖斯塔克说，那些反对该计划的人这样做是因为据报道，该决议是在州委员会成员开会前几天“突然”提出的。
“有些人在想，‘好吧，我们为什么要急着这么做?让我们继续讨论这个问题，并努力，你知道，找到一个更好的妥协，”他补充说。
“部分担忧是代表们在为特朗普造势。所以任何其他候选人都会说，‘好吧，我们不会浪费时间和金钱来密歇根竞选，’”他说。
汉森说，在围绕当地共和党领导角色的“相当激烈的斗争”中，支持特朗普的派系击败了反对特朗普的一方。
“有充分的理由相信，是的，事实上，让代表从县党组织被派往这些地区党团会议将对特朗普非常有利，”他说。
密歇根州共和党战略家丹尼斯·伦诺克斯发现这一决定和卡拉莫本人都令人不安。
“克里斯蒂娜·卡拉莫是任何可信或严肃的共和党人最不应该听的人，”伦诺克斯说。
他进一步认为，如果该计划通过，将剥夺大约100万密歇根州选民在初选中投票的权利，因为他们的偏好可能不会被能够参加党团会议的小得多的群体所反映。
“对于一个政党来说，这有点讽刺，因为它的许多成员都沉迷于他们认为被盗的东西舞弊选举通过一项提案，这将导致最终的被操纵或被窃取的选举。
曾参与过几次总统竞选的伦诺克斯说，后果将会在选民中引起反响。他认为，如果RNC批准该州的计划，明年在密尔沃基举行的提名大会上将会有“利益相关方”提起诉讼，以及不可避免的党内纠纷。
然而，他不太相信该计划为特朗普设定了一条轻松的滑行路径。
“我认为正在这样做的人认为它会，但我要提醒那些说这种话的人。...从历史上看，最根深蒂固的党人受益，我认为如果你看看今年，我确实认为我们有资格参加这场比赛，一直到大会。
该党表示，它追求这一变化是因为民主党领导的立法机构在乔·拜登总统的建议下，于今年早些时候通过了一项法案，该法案将该州的初选日期提前了。立法机构批准的2月27日的日期与RNC的规则相冲突，该规则禁止各州政党在3月1日之前举行提名竞争，但爱荷华州、新罕布什尔州、南卡罗来纳州和内华达州除外。
卡拉莫说:“它阻止了密歇根州受到处罚，如果我不尽一切努力保护密歇根州共和党人的声音，我就是玩忽职守。”
竞选活动和州及国家政党官员之间的协调可能是至关重要的。RNC规则要求各州的提名提案必须在10月1日之前提交，以获得批准，卡拉莫说，她有信心在与国家党合作后获得批准。
卡拉莫说:“这是RNC与我们合作的事情，所以他们与我们合作创造这个过程，然后转身拒绝他们努力的过程是没有意义的。”
特朗普竞选发言人没有回应置评请求。
Trump-friendly nomination proposal was bolstered by RNC: Michigan GOP official
The Republican National Committee had some level of involvement in a plan to implement a change to the nomination process that critics argue benefits former President Donald Trump, Michigan’s Republican Party chair tells ABC News.
Michigan Republican Party officials voted behind closed doors Saturday evening to pass a "resolution of intent" that would dole out just 16 of Michigan’s 55 delegates on primary election night, with the remaining 39 delegates chosen through caucuses four days later, according to a draft of the proposal reviewed by ABC News -- a process that could benefit Trump by limiting selection of the lion’s share of delegates to an especially involved group of caucus-goers that is expected to be friendly to the former president.
State party Chair Kristina Karamo, who secured Trump’s backing in her unsuccessful run for secretary of state in 2022, said national party leaders played a role proposing the split track in Michigan’s presidential nomination contest.
"We worked with the entire RNC team, RNC legal, so this was not some cockamamie plan that we just came up with on our own," Karamo said.
"We talked to the RNC, you know, leadership team to make sure that this was a proper well-thought-out process," she added.
Pressed on whether she spoke about the proposal specifically with RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, who was Michigan party chair during Trump’s rise in 2016, Karamo said, "I did talk to her. Yes, of course."
When reached for comment, the RNC directed ABC News to its delegate selection plan guidelines.
"Every state has until October 1st to let the RNC know what their plan is for electing, selecting, allocating, and binding delegates. We look forward to reviewing each state and territory’s plans," said Emma Vaughn, a committee spokesperson.
But until that date, the proposal is just a wishlist -- and an RNC official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the process freely, emphasized to ABC News that nothing is finalized until the broader committee reviews and approves each state’s invidious delegate selection plan by the coming December.
The RNC official also said that its conversations with the Michigan GOP focused on guidance regarding rules and process rather than substance and language of Karamo’s specific plan -- the sort of guidance the national party offers each state party as it begins to formulate its path forward for delegate selection.
Critics warn that the retooled delegate selection plan may be tipping the scales toward Trump.
"It only limits participation to previously elected precinct delegates," Michael Schostak, a former vice chair of the state party, told ABC News. "The precinct delegates are overwhelmingly Trump supporters."
A source familiar with Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tells ABC News his campaign has not been contacted by the Michigan Republican Party, despite multiple failed attempts by the campaign to discuss the proposed change.
Karamo's ties to Trump may hurt her ability to convince some Republican candidates and voters that the change was made impartially.
"I think it does have that potential," Jonathan Hanson, a lecturer at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, said. "It adds to the suspicion that the deck is being stacked a little bit."
Businessman and 2024 Republican candidate for president Steve Laffey says the Michigan state party’s decision "defies logic" and is "rigged."
"To select 70% of delegates at caucus meetings, instead of based on a primary vote, defies logic," Laffey told ABC News. "It's no secret that Donald Trump is extremely popular among local party officials in Michigan. This is just another blatant move to try and prevent the will of the people."
Still, Laffey says he has no intention of reaching out to Michigan party officials to voice his concerns, opting instead to focus efforts on a "fair and open primary process."
In the closed-door meeting where the plan was proposed, state party members were sold the new process as something that the RNC had already blessed, according to Schostak, who was not in the room but was briefed afterward.
Those who objected to the plan did so because the resolution was reportedly "sprung” on the state committee members just a few days before their meeting, Schostak said.
"There were some people thinking, 'Well, why are we rushing to do this? Let's keep talking about this and try to, you know, find a better compromise,'" he added.
"Part of the concern is that the delegates are in the tank for Trump. And so any of the other candidates are gonna say, ‘Well, we're not going to waste our time and money coming to Michigan to campaign,’" he said.
The pro-Trump faction has defeated the anti-Trump side in "pretty bitter fights" over local Republican party leadership roles, Hanson said.
"There's good reason to believe that yes, indeed, having delegates be sent to these regional caucuses from county party organizations would be quite favorable towards Trump," he said.
Dennis Lennox, a Michigan Republican strategist, finds the decision, and Karamo herself, troubling.
"Kristina Karamo is the last person that any credible or serious Republican should listen to," said Lennox.
He further argues that if the plan passes, it would disenfranchise the million or so Michigan voters who vote in the primary, since their preferences may not be reflected by the far smaller group able to participate in the caucus.
"It’s a little bit ironic for a political party, with so many of its members obsessed with what they believe to have been a stolen or rigged election to be passing a proposal that would create the ultimate rigged or stolen election," said Lennox.
Lennox, who worked on several presidential campaigns, says consequences will reverberate down-ballot. He believes there will be a lawsuit from "interested parties" as well as inevitable intra-party disputes at the nominating convention in Milwaukee next year if the RNC gives the state party's plan their blessing.
He's less sold, however, that the plan sets up an easily glide path for Trump.
"I think the people who are doing it think it will, but I would caution people who say that. ... Historically, the most entrenched party person benefits, and I think if you look at this year, I do think we have the makings for this race to go all the way to the convention," said Lennox.
The party said it pursued this change because the Democratic-led legislature, at the recommendation of President Joe Biden, passed a bill earlier this year that moved the state's primary up in the calendar. The Feb. 27 date the legislature approved conflicted with RNC rules that bar state parties from holding a nominating contest prior to March 1, except for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
"It prevented Michigan from receiving a penalty and I would be derelict in my duty if I didn't do everything in my power to protect the voice of Michigan Republicans," Karamo said.
Coordination among campaigns and state and national party officials can prove critical. RNC rules require state parties' nomination proposals to be submitted by Oct. 1 for a seal of approval, something Karamo said she's confident she'll get after working in tandem with the national party.
"This is something the RNC worked with us on, so it wouldn't make sense for them to work with us to create this process and turn around and reject the process they worked on," Karamo said.
A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
