Rep. Paul Mitchell a Republican congressman from Michigan announced on Wednesday that he’s leaving the Republican party to become an independent.
Rep. Mitchell told CNN that his disappointment with Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election have led him to change his party affiliation to “independent.”
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“It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote,” Mitchell wrote in a letter addressed to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. “Further, it is unacceptable for the president to attack the Supreme Court of the United States because its judges, both liberal and conservative, did not rule with his side or that ‘the Court failed him.’ It was our Founding Fathers’ objective to insulate the Supreme Court from such blatant political motivations.”
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He continued: “If Republican leaders collectively sit back and tolerate unfounded conspiracy theories and “stop the steal” rallies without speaking out for our electoral process, which the Department of Homeland Security said was “the most secure in American history,” our nation will be damaged…with the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of these efforts, I fear long-term harm to our democracy.”
Last July, Mitchell announced that he will not be seeking re-election to Congress, voicing his frustration that “rhetoric overwhelms policy” in Washington, The Washington Post reports.
