A recent conference call between Republican National Committee staff and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson’s campaign over the latter’s request for some flexibility on the moronic “loyalty pledge” the party is still imposing on candidates as a requirement for participating in the primary debates – even after fat former President Trump was indicted on a total of 71 felonies in two jurisdictions with more incoming – ended with the party telling Hutch to get fucked, Politico reports.

It’s not even clear yet if Hutchinson would meet the other minimum donor and polling requirements to qualify but why not root for him to annoy the shit out of the party for enforcing fealty to Trump?

“Candidates who are complaining about this to the press should seriously reconsider their priorities and whether they should even be running,” said plainly annoyed RNC senior adviser Richard Walters in a statement, adding that the candidates are only “being asked to respect the decision of Republican primary voters and support the eventual nominee.” He did not add “even if it’s Trump.”

That Hutchinson is making such a big deal out of it ostensibly as a matter of “principle” raises the question of why a 72 year-old man who probably won’t run again in 2028 cares about breaking a non-binding pledge after the primary debates… Unless maybe it somehow is binding and civilly actionable somewhere down in the fine print. Or they have personal kompromat on Hutchinson.