The Republican National Committee remains mired in the fallout from last week's revelations about its spending priorities — including the now-infamous bankrolling of a $2000 visit to a sexually themed nightclub in West Hollywood. The committee's chief of staff, Ken McKay, resigned Monday, as part of RNC Chairman Michael Steele's bid to put the scandal behind him. But that strategy doesn't appear to be panning out: Now Sean Mahoney, a New Hampshire RNC committeeman, has tendered his resignation, issuing a blistering statement about the committee's lavish recent spending. "Not only has the out-of-touch free-spending culture of Washington come to dominate the U.S. Congress, but I have watched with unease as the same mentality has seeped into our national party," Mahoney declared. And Alex Castellanos, a longtime Steele ally who'd been advising the RNC in an unpaid capacity, also bowed out of his RNC duties, calling for Steele to resign.
Castellanos stressed to CNN that he regards Steele as "a very decent man and a tremendously talented man," but added that "I think a change of direction now, at this point, would do the party good." For his part, Castellanos — who'd worked previously on the GOP presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and John McCain — said he was stepping aside because he had lost the "ability to be of service to the RNC."
Steele has remained defiant in the face of growing criticism, saying earlier in the week that his detractors have been out to get him from Day One and that he and President Obama aren't afforded the same tolerance of missteps as whites are because of their race.
And other party leaders have closed ranks around him. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said "Michael Steele has us on a good track," citing the party's recent wins in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, as well as in the U.S. Senate special election that netted a surprise victory for Republican Scott Brown. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich offered a similar vote of confidence, saying on NBC's "Today" show that "Michael Steele is capable of taking us through the midterm elections."
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