Trump critics urge RNC to replace Trump in special meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) — Desperate conservatives have circulated a petition calling for the Republican National Committee to host a special meeting where Donald Trump could be replaced as the party's presidential nominee.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Regina Thomson, executive director of a political action committee known as the GOP Accountability Project, wrote in an e-mail distributed to RNC members over the weekend and obtained by The Associated Press.

Party rules allow RNC members to replace a presidential nominee in the event of "death, declination, or otherwise" — language Trump critics say allows for his replacement soon after he formally captured his party's presidential nomination at the national convention.

The Colorado Republican, the former state chairwoman for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign, said she has received verbal commitments from party officials willing to sign the petition, but declined to say how many or who they are.