TPMDC

Top Steele Aide Quits, Blasts RNC’s Leadership

Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele

There is yet more trouble for Michael Steele.

This morning one of his top aides — Gentry Collins — resigned from his position as the RNC’s political director in a four-page letter indicting Steele’s leadership, according to Politico.

“In the previous two non-presidential cycles, the RNC carried over $4.8 million and $3.1 million respectively in cash reserve balances into the presidential cycles,” Collins wrote. “In stark contrast, we enter the 2012 presidential cycle with 100% of the RNC’s $15 million in lines of credit tapped out, and unpaid bills likely to add millions to that debt.”

The RNC’s cash troubles, according to the letter, resulted in the committee’s failure to run independent expenditure ads for Senate and gubernatorial candidates and crippled its GOTV operation.

Steele is facing open opposition from within the ranks of the Republican Party and one official challenger for his seat from a former competitor.

Update: Read the full resignation letter here.

Gentry Collins, Michael Steele, RNC
Brian Beutler

Brian Beutler is TPM's senior congressional reporter. Since 2009, he's led coverage of health care reform, Wall Street reform, taxes, the GOP budget, the government shutdown fight, and the debt limit fight. He can be reached at brian@talkingpointsmemo.com.

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