Mitt Romney's niece criticizes his op-ed

The next Romney family reunion may prove to be an awkward affair.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who is Senator-elect Mitt Romney's niece, on Wednesday spoke out against her uncle's op-ed about President Trump. Romney had criticized Trump's character and said that he has "not risen to the mantle of the office."

"For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realdonaldtrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive," McDaniel wrote without using Romney's name or noting their relationship.

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McDaniel, who has led the RNC since 2017, has in recent years stopped using the name Romney; CNN's Andrew Kaczynski points out that her name was listed on social media as Ronna Romney McDaniel until shortly before she became RNC chair. Trump himself had personally requested she drop the name, The Washington Post reports.