#NeverTrump Makes Their Last Stand

The Hill reports:

The Never Trump contingent is going into the Republican National Convention determined to block Donald Trump from the nomination regardless of the rules about unbinding delegates. And for them, Monday marks the finale of the groups’ efforts to pump the brakes on officially nominating Trump. These forces have descended upon Cleveland, already whipping delegates in behind-the-scenes efforts to convince them to vote their conscience.

Two of the groups helming this effort — Free the Delegates and Delegates Unbound — have joined forces and are sharing resources to allow delegates to vote their conscience rather than according to the results of their state primaries and caucuses. Over the past several weeks, these groups have been preparing their convention efforts, hiring staff, setting up a Cleveland office and putting in place a system that allows them to mass-text delegates and send them updates.

More from Politico:

For now, the favored strategy appears to be an attempt to block the convention’s 2,472 delegates from adopting a new set of party rules on Monday, rejecting the blueprint passed Thursday by the Convention Rules Committee.

Anti-Trump operatives are cobbling together signatures from delegates in order to force a recorded vote on the rules package. They need the support of majorities in seven delegations to guarantee a vote. And if they succeed, their next challenge would be to furiously lobby the entire convention to reject the rules and add new language freeing them to rebel against Trump.

“I’m not going to let the Rules Committee think that they’re relevant,” said Kendal Unruh, a Colorado delegate and leader of the “Free the Delegates” movement. “I’m not going to empower them anymore. The power has been and will continue to be in the hands of the delegates.”