RNC chair bashes Washington Post editorial calling him 'irrational'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Reince Priebus, chair of the Republican National Committee, slammed The Washington Post for an editorial that said the GOP's willingness to back Donald Trump as the party's nominee was "irrational."

"That is the stupidest editorial that I have ever seen," he told CNN on Wednesday. "That I'm called out for not beating up the front-runner of the GOP. It's ridiculous."

The editorial in question -- titled "Republican leaders' silence on Trump is inexcusable — and irrational" -- slams Priebus and other party leaders for vowing to support Trump if the real estate mogul wins the Republican presidential nomination.

"Like many GOP leaders, Mr. Priebus has shown that he knows that Mr. Trump is a problem. He condemned Mr. Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States," The Post's editorial board wrote on Monday. "But, also like many top Republicans, the party chairman has nevertheless given Mr. Trump a wide berth to run a flamboyant insult of a campaign."

Priebus said The Post had the wrong idea as to his role in the nominating process.

"That's not my job. My job is to put forward the fairest process that we can put forward. To not put my hand on the scale," he said. "To allow our delegates to make the choices that they want to make. And then accept the decision that the delegates make."

Priebus has vowed the RNC will back the candidate who wins the party's nomination at the convention in July. Candidates were also asked to sign a pledge saying they would do the same, a pledge that Trump has threatened several times to violate, saying he might run as a third-party candidate.