Donald Trump's campaign threatened to steal Iowa's status as the holder of the first caucus in the nation during a contentious vote in Cleveland Monday, according to former Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli.
Cuccinelli
told Talking Points Memo the Trump campaign and the GOP establishment ganged up on states who were threatening to vote in favor allowing delegates to be unbound at the Republican National Convention.
"They were threatening people. They did it in Virginia. They did it in Washington. They did it in D.C. They did it in Maryland. They did in Iowa," Cuccinelli said. "They threatened Iowa…. The Trump campaign [said] 'we'll take away your first in the nation status."
The threat came
during a vote that turned into a yell-fest, with delegates from the "Never Trump" side shouting in protest when a voice vote was called instead of a roll call vote.
Cuccinelli even ripped his convention credentials off his neck and
threw them on the floor in frustration.
Cuccinelli told Talking Points Memo that Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told him, "'we're gonna lose our first in the nation status.' He came over here to harangue me."
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