The Republican National Committee on Friday selected new leaders who were handpicked by former President Donald J. Trump, a move expected to tighten the expected nominee’s hold on the party’s machinery ahead of the general election.

The committee unanimously elected Michael Whatley, who led the North Carolina Republican Party and was the R.N.C.’s general counsel, as its chair and Lara Trump, Mr. Trump’s daughter-in-law, as co-chair.

The Republican National Committee elected Lara Trump—daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump—and another Trump ally, Michael Whatley, to be its new leaders in a move that strengthens the former president’s grasp on the party after he all but secured the presidential nomination earlier in the week.

Lara Trump and Whatley were both endorsed by Trump—who praised them, saying Whatley had a “commit[ment] to election integrity” and Lara Trump is “dedicated to all that MAGA stands for”—in February after former chair Ronna McDaniel announced she was stepping down.

The Republican National Committee elected its new senior leadership team Friday at the party‘s annual spring meeting, closing the book on Ronna McDaneil’s longtime stewardship of the Republican Party.

Taking the reins of the RNC are Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump, who were handpicked by former President Donald Trump for the election-year takeover of the GOP after he forced out Ms. McDaniel.

The 168 RNC members unanimously elected Mr. Whatley and Ms. Trump in a voice vote Friday at the RNC‘s spring meeting in Houston.

A New York judge on Friday handed Donald J. Trump a crushing defeat in his civil fraud case, finding the former president liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordering him to pay a penalty of $355 million that could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash.

A New York judge on Friday ordered former President Trump to pay nearly $355 million in penalties in a civil fraud case that has dealt a stark blow to his family’s business empire. 

Judge Arthur Engoron’s 92-page decision came just weeks after closing arguments in the case following a months-long trial last year during which Trump frequently lambasted the judge and the prosecutor who brought the case. 

A New York judge ordered that former President Donald Trump pay $355 million — and temporarily banned him from doing business in the state where he made his name — after finding Friday that he inflated his net worth by billions to dupe banks and insurers over the course of a decade.

Trump, 77, will be barred from serving as an officer or director of any company in New York for three years, under the ruling from Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron.

Ivanka Trump could be the successor if a judge imposes a lifetime real estate ban on former President Donald Trump this week, a business expert said.

Trump, his two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as the Trump Organization, are co-defendants in the $370 million civil fraud trial brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. She accuses them of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to obtain benefits such as better bank loans and reduced tax bills.

Two of Donald Trump's sons took the stand to deny their role in company fraud this week, and the court in New York saw some combative exchanges and even a few humorous moments.

New York Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that brothers Eric and Donald Jr, their father and other Trump Organization executives inflated company assets to secure favourable loans, but the months-long trial will determine the penalties the defendants will face.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a $250m (£202m) fine and severe restrictions on the family business.