U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan has just quit the Republican Party. The 64-year old three-term congressman cited President Donald Trump’s “unfounded conspiracy theories” surrounding the 2020 election, and his attacks on immigrants, from his response to the Charlottesville neo-Nazi rally to his more recent “anti-immigrant ‘send them back’ rhetoric” as reasons he is now an independent member of Congress.
“As elected members of Congress, we take an oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States,’ not to preserve and protect the political interests of any individual, be it the president or anyone else, to the detriment of our cherished nation,” his letter reads, as CNN reported.
Late last month he blasted President Donald Trump on social media:
He also criticized Trump for his recent attacks on the judicial branch.
“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,” he wrote. “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.”
On Sunday he tweeted out opposition to Trump several times, at one point saying, “Continuing this circus is just …so damaging … so unproductive … so narcissistic…what about our country?”
Mitchell was one of the few Republicans to pay his respects to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” he wrote on Facebook. “She was a dedicated jurist who served our nation with honor. Her life and work on the Supreme Court created a legacy that will inspire generations to come. I offer my thanks for her service and my deepest condolences to her family during this time.”
Before becoming a congressman Mitchell was the chairman of the Michigan branch of conservative Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, a right wing anti-LGBTQ organization that is part Christian evangelical activist, and part Tea Party.
Mitchell, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, is retiring in January, and even noted the switch is “admittedly symbolic,” but said in his letter to RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, “we all know that symbols matter.”
Read his full letter below: