George W. Bush Ethics Lawyer Richard Painter Announces Senate Run as a Dem: ‘Vote for Democrats’
Former chief ethics lawyer for the George W. Bush administration Richard Painter announced his plans to run for a U.S. Senate in Minnesota, all while pleading with Americans to “vote for Democrats” in 2018.
Painter, who is running for the seat previously held by Al Franken, has built his brand over the past couple years by being a staunch Donald Trump critic. While the highlight of his career so far was working in a Republican administration, he has consistently blasted the current GOP president on cable news for his personal and legal ethical issues.
Painter made the following appeal in St. Paul, Minnesota today:
“We need to stand firm against what President Trump is threatening to do to our country, and the only alternative this fall is going to be to vote for Democrats. The Republican Party has demonstrated that is not willing to participate in our democratic system. The Republicans insist if you’re going to run for national office you must be loyal to President Donald Trump. Two Republican senators have been pressured out, sitting senators, because they would not support Donald Trump. This is wrong this, this is not the America I want to live in, this is not the America I want my children to live in.”
Given Franken’s resignation over sexual harassment allegations earlier this year, Painter will be running against Senator Tina Smith in the state’s Democratic primaries.
Watch above, via ABC News.
[images via screengrab]
