Trump Wins GOP Presidential Primary in Washington State

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is among a handful of high-profile Republicans considering whether to confront Donald Trump about his approach to his presidential campaign.

    

That's according to a Republican official with direct knowledge of Priebus' plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal party strategy.

    

Republicans inside and outside of Trump's campaign are brainstorming how to influence the brash billionaire after a series of startling statements, including his Tuesday refusal to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election.

    

Priebus and Ryan are both from Wisconsin and close friends.

    

The official says Priebus may join a small group of well-respected Republicans to confront Trump in the coming days. The plan is not final, but the official says the group may include former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Both are Trump allies.

    

Priebus has already been speaking with campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the billionaire's children, who are said to agree that Trump needs to stop picking fights within his own party and back off his criticism of the family of a slain soldier.

        

House Speaker Paul Ryan's underdog primary challenger says the Republican lawmaker has betrayed Donald Trump in "an act of sabotage against our party."

    

Paul Nehlen is trying to capitalize on a burst of attention he's received after Trump complimented him. The Republican presidential candidate also said he wasn't ready to endorse Ryan in the primary.

    

Nehlen held a news conference Wednesday in Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. He says Ryan is trying to sabotage both Trump and the will of Republicans who selected him as their nominee. Ryan has endorsed Trump, but has also been critical of some of his policy proposals and comments.

    

Ryan has outraised Nehlen 17-to-1 in the district, secured a host of endorsements and enjoys high favorability ratings among Republicans. Nehlen is running his first campaign.

        

Also, a leader of an overseas Republican group says she is growing concerned about Donald Trump.

    

Jan Halper-Hayes, vice-president of Republicans Overseas, says "there is an element of him that truly is psychologically unbalanced."

    

Halper-Hayes has previously defended Trump and has said his temperament is suited to high office.

    

Halper-Hayes, author of "Quiet Desperation: The Truth About Successful Men," told the BBC on Wednesday that "Donald is out of control right now and he's not listening to anyone."

    

But she said that "I think that there is some real concern about his behavior right now. ... It's something we need to watch very carefully."

    

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Josh Earnest says that President Barack Obama has confidence in the America's electoral process and everybody else should too.

    

His comments at Wednesday's press briefing came in response to questions about Republican Donald Trump's suggestion that the November election "is going to be rigged" against him. Trump did not go into details.

    

Earnest says that the 2012 presidential election contained complaints from some supporters of Mitt Romney that the polling was skewed against the Republican nominee, so Trump's suggestion is not entirely new. But he said it is the kind of claim often made by people who don't end up winning elections.

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