The former president was angered by Charlie Spies’s criticism of his false 2020 election-fraud claims.

The top lawyer at the Republican Party is resigning after he cited conflicts with his other work obligations and after Donald Trump grew angry about his criticism of the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, people familiar with the situation said Saturday night.

The lawyer, Charlie Spies, is a long-respected GOP election operative who was hired by Trump’s top lieutenants in March after the former president engineered a takeover of the Republican National Committee, which in recent years has been the party’s main operation in both fundraising and field operations.

Trump had approved of the hiring but later learned about additional comments the lawyer had made. Spies in the past had worked for, either directly or indirectly, former Florida governor Jeb Bush ®, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ®. He was liked by Trump’s top advisers, who orchestrated his hiring even though they knew he was skeptical of Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.

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  • @[email protected]English
    16•6 months ago

    This seems a good example of the difference between the GOP and the GQP - they may use one another up to a point, but they are not the same (well, they might become so now, after this…).

    • @[email protected]English
      15•6 months ago

      I posted this on another community this article was posted in, but what genuinely remains of the GOP? It’s pretty much only MAGA now, outside of a few talking heads and think-tanks that have less influence every day, eg Michael Steele or George Conway. They’re reaping what they sowed, you can only lie to people for so long before you lose control of the narrative

      • @[email protected]English
        3•6 months ago

        Mitch McConnell for one, and that’s the main one right there. Mitt Romney too, though that’s fairly niche these days. And if George W. Bush ever came out of hiding someday, well, he’d probably be a “progressive Democrat” at this point (heck, wouldn’t even Reagan almost be thus, these days? at least by comparison…). Let’s see, Lindsey Graham? Not that there’s much functional difference though…

        Some I have omitted, like Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, b/c they never really stood for anything in the first place, except whatever shifting winds happened to be blowing atm (I know, I know, but I mean even more than usual for Republicans, and quite frankly politicians in general).

        I think people held out hope for the GOP when they thought that Ron DeSantis would replace Trump. But when going up against Putin Trump, he just couldn’t handle himself, like so many e.g. JEB before him.

        People may have also held out hope b/c some of them, like MTG, are just so crazy - but then again, we never fail to underestimate the power of sheeple to not care, so long as they get their way (or rather, the overlords do, and then they will bow to whatever Authority says).

        So now, instead of the GQP existing inside the GOP, the eggs that the wasp had lain previously have hatched and at this point it is the GOP that is a thin remaining shell, probably lasting exactly as long as McConnell and then no more.

        Except in the minds of the “centrists” who will hold onto the former “glory” of the GOP, refusing to acknowledge that Trump is here to stay, forever.

    • @Buffalox
      2•6 months ago

      GQP

      I have no idea what that stands for, but I imagine something along the lines of “Group of Queer Primates”.

      • qantravonEnglish
        6•6 months ago

        It’s the GOP, but they believe in Qanon. Which describes a worryingly large amount of the party.