GOP Lawmaker Leaving the Party Because ‘Leadership Does Not Stand up’ To Trump’s Post-Election Actions
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) says he can no longer be associated with the Republican Party due to President Donald Trump’ s efforts to overturn the results of the election, and party leaders’ silence. During an…
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) says he can no longer be associated with the Republican Party due to President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election, and party leaders’ silence.
During an interview on CNN’s “The Lead” on Monday, Mitchell revealed that he is leaving the Republican Party because of the leadership’s refusal to publicly rebuff Trump’s claims about the election.
“It became clear to me that I could no longer be associated with a Republican party that leadership does not stand up and say the process, the election, is over. It’s over today,” Mitchell said.
He continued, “And then I saw the president tweet out that it’s not over till January 20. Somehow he’s going to continue to combat this. The people have voted. As I said in my letter, I voted for Donald Trump.”
Watch the video below:
In a letter announcing his decision to disaffiliating with the party, Mitchell cited his voting record in Congress and support for the party.
He added that he agrees “that there have been some disconcerting aspects to this election.”
“With more than 155 million people voting, both administrative errors and even some fraudulent voting likely occurred. Steps must be taken, by each state, to audit results, validate ballots, and process and report findings to ensure that every legal vote counts.”
However, he said that errors or fraud were not the reason for Trump’s loss. While he noted that “any candidate” is “entitled to request recounts and pursue legal challenge,” Trump’s efforts to contest the results have failed.