Elections

Trump, GOP Continue Fight Over Fairness

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
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The Republican Party and Donald Trump continued their feud over the delegate process, with Trump penning an op-ed Thursday attacking the system and the GOP sending out a passive-aggressive memo Friday.

“The rules surrounding the delegate selection have been clearly laid out in every state and territory and while each state is different, each process is easy to understand for those willing to learn it,” Sean Spicer, RNC chief strategist and communications director, wrote in a memo.

He added, “it ultimately falls on the campaigns to be up to speed on these delegate rules.”

Colorado Republicans chose not to hold a primary or caucus, and instead held caucuses to elect delegates to vote for presidential candidates on their behalf. (RELATED: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus Responds To Trump: ‘Give Us All A Break’)

Trump wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial Thursday, “on Saturday, April 9, Colorado had an ‘election’ without voters. Delegates were chosen on behalf of a presidential nominee, yet the people of Colorado were not able to cast their ballots to say which nominee they preferred.”

He added, “a planned vote had been canceled. And one million Republicans in Colorado were sidelined.”

The RNC seemed prepare to deflect future attacks about their primary process by including in their memo a rundown of how delegates are selected in the upcoming April primaries. The party also believes that even when delegates are chosen through a party convention is still a democratic process.

“Whether delegates are awarded through a primary, caucus, or convention, this process is democracy in action and driven by grassroots voters across the country. The RNC is transparent about the rules and works with campaigns on a consistent basis to address any questions surrounding the process,” Spicer wrote in the memo.

Trump hasn’t just focused his criticism on the delegate selection process but also the prospect of “double-agent” delegates. “The system is being rigged by party operatives with ‘double-agent’ delegates who reject the decision of voters,” the New York businessman wrote in his WSJ editorial.

He is referring the prospect of delegates who are bound to him on the first-ballot, but may vote for [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] on subsequent ballots.

Spicer responded to this line of criticism Friday morning on MSNBC. “In most cases, look, the delegates started running a few months ago months. It was incumbent upon the campaigns to begin the process of getting individuals to run for those slots back then. I actually disagree with that. “