The Republican National Committee is considering a proposal to sell television rights to Republican Presidential primary debates, according to CNN.
The proposal–if approved and found to be legal–would see the RNC sanctioning debates and offering rights up in much the same way that major sporting events are sold to TV networks.
CNN reports on the potential legal pitfalls of such a proposal:
Larry Noble, an election law attorney with Skadden, Arps, described it as a “novel” concept but also said it raises a “serious question” as to whether it is even “possible under the law” to make such a payment beyond the federal contribution limits. Federal law caps an individual’s and a political action committee’s annual donation to a national party committee at $30,800.
Another, more ominous problem for news organizations would be that if the rights are sold, it is possible that some players outside of the big three broadcasters or big three cable news channels could win the bidding.
CNN floats the possibility of Republican donors forming a website, outbidding the major news organizations and streaming it online.
The idea would seem ridiculous, but with the RNC facing a $23 million budget deficit, new chair Reince Priebus is said to be getting creative in figuring out a way to cut that deficit.
Update: The Cutline’s Michael Calderone writes that even if it is found to be legal, news organizations are unlikely to be engaging in bidding wars for it.