The Architect Behind the RNC's Financial "Strategy" & Ronna Romney's former "Right Hand Man": Richard Walters
He and the RNC just don't know how to quit each other.
Meet Richard Walters, a seasoned political operative and finance expert who has been stuffing his pockets at the expense of Republicans.
As the Republican National Committee (RNC)’s former finance director and Chief of Staff, Walters played a pivotal role in shaping their financial strategies and operational efficiencies through his involvement in the 2018 and 2020 election cycles. He enabled disgraced former RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel to misuse and abuse the party's financial war chest and strategic capabilities, positioning it for failure in future election cycles.
Before joining the Republican National Committee.
Richard Walters graduated with an undergraduate degree in public policy from the University of Mississippi. He pursued a graduate degree in educational policy and social analysis at Columbia but dropped out. Walters leveraged his public policy and social analysis educational background to work in political party policy instead.
The 2010s
At just 23, Walters started at the RNC in 2013 as their deputy Midwest finance director until 2014. In that role, he focused primarily on major donor fundraising. He was responsible for overseeing the RNC's day-to-day operations, strategic planning, and managing its financial resources. After that, he became the RNC’s Midwest and Northeast finance director. It was mostly the same work, but with added responsibility.
In August 2017, Walters became their interim chief of staff before eventually taking the more permanent role. He oversaw the mission and vision of the RNC, creating a robust data operation and stronger ground game throughout the country. Earlier that same year, Ronna Romney McDaniel, the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party and a niece of Mitt Romney, succeeded Reince Priebus as chair of the RNC.
Under their leadership during President Donald Trump’s administration, the RNC achieved unprecedented financial success, with its fundraising efforts far exceeding those of previous years. Record-breaking fundraising efforts, which saw the RNC raise more than $241 million in 2019 alone, far surpassing previous years' totals. This financial strength allowed the RNC to invest heavily in its data operation and infrastructure, enhancing its ability to target and mobilize voters effectively.
They doled out $192 million, including Walters’s $238k salary at the RNC and another $135k received through his shell company, Red Wave Strategies. The RNC disputed former FEC general counsel Larry Noble’s allegation that those payments were a “serious reporting violation.” It makes sense why Ronna Romney’s RNC pushed back against any accusations of impropriety against her right-hand man. Sooner or later, she became the new target.
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The 2020s
By 2020, Walters was in contact with Ronna Romney McDaniel daily, or at a minimum, every other day. This was because, during the pandemic, they were trying to move the RNC into more of a virtual operation. As her Chief of Staff, the RNC’s directors would report to him. This included people like then-digital director Kevin Zambrano and then-political director Chris Carr.
Richard Walters' departure from the Chief of Staff role in 2022 marked the end of a long-standing tenure that saw the organization achieve unprecedented financial success, despite massive strategic losses.
It is true what they say. Old habits die hard.
As RNC Chief of Staff, Walters worked closely with the disgraced former RNC head Ronna Romney McDaniel to interfere with Trump’s plans. Sadly, old habits die.
Even after Walters left his executive role at the RNC, Walters stayed on as Ronna Romney McDaniel’s senior adviser. He focused on long-term matters related to the 2024 election, like preparing for the GOP national convention, primary and general debates, and the party nominating process.
On a funny side note, after Ronna Romney McDaniel resigned on Trump’s advice to make room for the RNC’s new co-chairs Lara Trump and Michael Whatley, she tried to grab a contributor spot on NBC News. She was booted after less than a week, thanks to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Chuck Todd, and the rest of the left’s meltdown. Trump doubly mocked her misfortune and condemned NPC’s execs on his Truth Social.
Richard Walters's contributions to the RNC left a lasting impact on the organization, so much so that they’ve kept paying him. Fiercely pro-Trump independent journalist and America Mission ally Laura Loomer recently called out the RNC on X for paying Richard Walters over $25k monthly through 2024.
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It is time to roll up our sleeves.
Richard Walters’s legacy at the RNC is of financial mismanagement and operational ineptitude, fueled by a self-serving vision. His and Romney McDaniel’s efforts were instrumental in positioning the organization for failure in future election cycles, yet the RNC kept giving him cash. Only once people like Walters are completely cut off from the Republican gravy train can the RNC and Republican Party truly heal.
As Walters moves on to new challenges and opportunities, his experience and expertise in political finance and strategy will undoubtedly continue to be highly sought after, by political campaigns and organizations seeking to learn about the RNC's past inner workings. If American patriots want to flush the corruption out of America, protecting its institutions from opportunistic grifters is paramount.
Check out America Mission’s timeline on Richard Walters’s past.
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