Fellow RNC Members: I want to reach out to you on a matter of concern to me and I believe all RNC members. Earlier this week I was attacked by The Daily Caller. This is a site that loves to exploit political issues and political people. Bruce Ash National Committeeman For Arizona In this case they went to a outlet here in Tucson run by a democrat who edits the Arizona Daily Independent which has been slamming Republicans for some time and a self-described “reformed democrat” shock jock talk show host—James T. Harris — who already has problems with me and the state/county parties. He attacks GOP office holders and GOP candidates .These people are not on our side today and have rarely been on our side. Yesterday Harris made a big deal out of a piece run in The ADI and The Daily Caller about my comments on the “conscience” movement and the Trump nomination. (See link below) http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/20/republican-national-committee-membercalls-for-trump-staffers-to-be-shot-in-the-back-of-the-head/ 3499 N. Campbell Ave, Suite 907 Tucson, AZ. 85719 (520) 795-2100 x102 (520) 907-9326 (Cell) (520) 795-9849 (Fax) Bash@paulashmgt.com What I said Saturday on a local radio show, which I have co-hosted since before I ever became an RNC member, was my analysis of the convention at the time. I have enormous respect for Mitt Romney, however, in view of his support of the NeverTrump movement I questioned how it looked that two of the leaders in the 2012 Romney campaign (Enid Mickelson and Ron Kaufman) were running convention rules and former RNC Chair Haley Barbour is running Permanent Organization in the middle of a rising “conscience” vote movement being organized by Governor Romney and others who seek to nullify 56 state contests and possibly bring in another nominee? Worse yet run a third party campaign. It was even announced today Governor Scott Walker agrees there is room for a conscience vote at the convention. I stand by my analysis because I have concerns about the appointees who have worked with Romney in the past and despite well intentioned assurances, might possibly work to deny him the nomination he has earned. I am a member of the convention rules committee and am entitled to my opinion. Bright light and fresh air is a disinfectant. I find it quite remarkable that the RNC might actually be leaning toward a vote to essentially invoke “The Curly Haugland Rules” to reverse the results of the primary contests and unbind our delegates. Page 2 of 3 I understand the Trump Campaign approved the recommendations for convention rules and permanent organization. Makes sense to me. I’m sure Mr. Trump and Paul Manafort agreed to the appointments because they sought reconciliation and a merger with the RNC. If this was part of the bargain then they had to deal with it. However, it does not mean it was smart to sign off on this arrangement unless there are boundaries how we guarantee there will not be rules changes at convention rules which affect who our presumptive nominee is in 2016 after he received nearly 14,000,000 votes. Was the punishment I suggested on the radio show harsh? No. it was a metaphor that has been used in political terms thousands of times. There are others who have said much worse about the presumptive nominee and get away with their language. I was standing up for our process and the presumptive nominee. I pray we avoid drama such as what occurred at the 2012 convention rules committee. We have our county’s future and the future of our party in our hands. Can you imagine the rage if Trump is denied the nomination? The RNC created a level playing field to select our 2016 nominee. Against 17 contestants Donald Trump surprised the political world and out-performed everyone. He bested his closest contestant Ted Cruz by a nearly 2 to 1 margin. Fellow members, the only way we can win in 2016 is to stick together. If we don’t, the result will be catastrophic. Donald Trump might not have been our first choice but he is the people’s choice and I support his candidacy. I have worked for grassroots empowerment since becoming a member of the RNC. I think we all feel as passionately about this; especially after the 2012 convention. You might not agree with my words but you surely cannot fault my desire to stand up for millions of GOP voters who cast their vote for Donald Trump. Our party is built on rules. The rules we set up at the RNC got Donald Trump and us to this point. This is what we all wanted when we started the process in 2013. I am not blind to our presumptive candidate. He has flaws. Some are huge. I am very encouraged, however, changes in the Trump campaign which have come about in the past 96 hours or so will bear fruit for us. With the RNC in charge Donald Trump now has the best chance to win which may have been difficult to achieve under the prior leadership team. The RNC has been prepared for this moment for the past three years. The RNC has a tremendous opportunity to elect the 45th President of the United States. Page 3 of 3 We at the RNC must stand by our presumptive nominee?s side and defend against all who would threaten our legitimacy as a national party. What is more important than anything else is uniting and defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016. Regards, BruEe Ash National Committeeman Arizona