RNC won't present loyalty pledge to candidates until after they qualify for debate: Sources
Republican presidential candidates who qualify for the first primary debate will will then have to sign a loyalty pledge, sources say Republican presidential candidates who qualify for the first primary debate will have to satisfy one final, somewhat controversial requirement, sources say: signing a pledge to back whomever the party's eventual nominee is, including if it's Donald Trump. Two sources familiar with the discussion told ABC News that the pledge will only be presented to candidates for their signature after they earn their spot on the debate stage, in Milwaukee in August, rather than earlier in the process. This order would signal that they cannot lean on the pledge as a reason not to participate. Three GOP hopefuls who are critical of Trump -- former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd -- have expressed concerns about the pledge. MORE: The Rise and Fall of the GOP Loyalty Pledge Trump himself has not c...