A Donald Trump campaign aide is being accused of threatening Republican delegates in Delaware.
According to Politico, Joe Uddo, a former Ben Carson adviser, warned the delegates that if they were not loyal to Trump throughout the GOP convention, legal action could happen through Trump’s attorneys at Jones Day.
Additionally, Uddo reportedly said that further refusal could urge the Trump camp to tweet about “backroom deals in Delaware.”
“One of our delegates is just a little old lady,” one source told Politico. “This is not cigar chomping, tobacco spitting guys with three piece suits. These are just normal Delawareans, hardworking, retirees.”
Delaware GOP Chairman Charlie Copeland told The Daily Caller during the Republican National Committee meeting in Florida that Delaware’s delegate selection process “have been in place for a long time…our rules are very simple.”
The rules, in fact, have been in place since 1996 but, according to Politico, the flap triggered by Uddo may have hurt relations between the Trump campaign and the Delaware Republican Party.
Copeland explained the state’s GOP executive committee is charged with putting together a list, or a “slate,” of delegates for the Republican convention in Cleveland this summer.
The committee is composed of Copeland, an elected vice chair, five regional vice chairs, House and Senate caucus members, and other elected officials. The slate is later given an up or down vote at their state party convention next Saturday, days after the state primary.
“It’s a winner take all state for the first ballot. So everybody is bound on the first ballot for the winner of the state of Delaware,” Copeland said.
Copeland and Uddo did not respond to TheDC’s inquiries at the time of publishing.
Additionally, unlike other state GOP delegate selection processes, it is against Delaware GOP rules for presidential candidates to have any role in the selection of the state GOP’s 13 delegates.
“Presidential candidates shall not nominate or propose any delegates or alternate delegates,” the rules say.
Uddo reportedly snapped at state GOP officials last week when it was asked when Trump, who is polling well ahead of his nearest competition in the state, would be visiting Delaware.
“I don’t know if you guys have any business asking for a favor,” Uddo replied.
Trump hosted a rally in Delaware last Friday.
