Donald Trump addresses a crowd at a recent AIPAC conference. | Getty RNC meets with conservatives on Trump convention fight The RNC's chief operating officer holds off-record meetings to talk about the open-convention process.

A top Republican National Committee official helping to oversee the party’s convention preparations attended a series of private meetings on Wednesday with top conservative leaders – many of whom are bent on finding a way to stop Donald Trump.

Sean Cairncross, the RNC’s chief operating officer, addressed a trio of exclusive, off-the-record gatherings that brought together many of the party’s most prominent hard-right voices, including the the Club for Growth, Family Research Council, and the Heritage Foundation. The gatherings, all in Washington, were the Conservative Action Project breakfast, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist’s Wednesday meeting, and what's known as the Paul Weyrich lunch, named after the late conservative activist.


Many of those there to hear Cairncross are seeking ways to defeat Trump at a potentially contested Republican National Convention in Cleveland, going so far as to consider imposing rule changes at the convention that would hamper Trump’s ability to secure the nomination.

Those familiar with Cairncross’ remarks say he spent much of the time laying out the process of an open convention, complete with detailed explanation of the state-by-state rules for allocating delegates. He was careful, they say, to appear fair and impartial in his remarks – a position the RNC has rigidly adhered to as it navigates the treacherous waters of a divisive primary.

He also detailed the rules process, which many conservatives are delving into as they search for ways to derail Trump's march to the nomination.

At one point, several people present said Cairncross found himself in a disagreement with Morton Blackwell, a RNC member from Virginia who is a key figure in the conservative movement and an expert on the rules process. Blackwell, who attended several of the day’s meetings, would not comment, saying: "These were confidential meetings. I'm not at liberty to talk about it."

According to several sources, the disagreement with Cairncross centered around whether rules implemented for the 2012 convention could be changed.

Cairncross and an RNC spokesperson declined to comment. Cairncross was joined at the meetings by John Phillippe, an RNC attorney.

The meeting were predominantly attended by conservative intellectuals and activists who have aligned themselves against Trump. Representatives for the Club for Growth, which endorsed Ted Cruz on Tuesday and has advertised against the New York businessman, were present at all three of the meetings. Former Attorney General Ed Meese, who has derided Trump as a divisive figure, also made an appearance.

The Conservative Action Project breakfast, meanwhile, was held at the offices of the Family Research Council, which is headed up by Ted Cruz supporter Tony Perkins. While attendees munched on doughnuts, Perkins, not physically present for the gathering, listened on a call-in line.

Cairncross, who has spent years working for the RNC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is an unassuming player in D.C. political circles. Yet he, along with RNC chief of staff Katie Walsh, is playing a key role in crafting the party’s preparation for the convention. In recent weeks, the two have begun reaching out to top political operatives with contested-convention experience. They have also been inviting staff to meetings in which they outline how a contested convention would play out.

The committee is taking other steps to prepare for Cleveland. Top officials at the RNC, for example, have spoken of a desire to reach out to conservative TV personalities on the convention process so they can articulate how a complex nominating fight would play out.

Behind the scenes, the RNC has begun making hires for key convention posts. Two sources briefed on its internal deliberations said the committee has been in talks with Ben Key, a longtime GOP operative who played a role in overseeing the crafting of the post-2012 Republican "autopsy," to serve as a top staffer on the committee that will be tasked with drawing up the party’s official platform. The RNC declined to comment on its discussions with Key.

Appearing on ABC News’ “This Week,” on Sunday, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus called an open convention a possibility and said the party was preparing for it.

"I think it's possible and we're preparing for that possibility. And I think it's my job to be as open and transparent as I possibly can be,” he said. “That's why I'm trying to get out there on the convention a lot, out in the media and talk about what the rules are and what they're not and take the mystery away from what an open convention looks like because it really is pretty simple stuff."