In an open letter on Facebook which called Donald Trump supporters “well-meaning” and “right to be angry,” Republican U.S. Senator from Nebraska Ben Sasse said that he “cannot support Donald Trump” and that if the billionaire real estate investor wins the GOP primary, Sasse will look for a third-party candidate to support.
“Please understand: I’m not an establishment Republican, and I will never support Hillary Clinton. I’m a movement conservative who was elected over the objections of the GOP establishment. My current answer for who I would support in a hypothetical matchup between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton is: Neither of them. I sincerely hope we select one of the other GOP candidates, but if Donald Trump ends up as the GOP nominee, conservatives will need to find a third option,” said Sen. Sasse in a Sunday Facebook post.
“Given what we know about him today, here’s where I’m at: If Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee, my expectation is that I will look for some third candidate – a conservative option, a constitutionalist,” concluded Sasse.
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Freshman Senator Sasse was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and had fashioned himself as the anti-Obamacare candidate during his campaign. According to The Washington Post, Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and former Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin campaigned for Sasse’s candidacy during the 2014 Nebraska Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Sasse said that loyalty to a political party should be contingent on it remaining useful for the promotion of the core beliefs of its supporters.
“If our Party is no longer working for the things we believe in – like defending the sanctity of life, stopping ObamaCare, protecting the Second Amendment, etc. – then people of good conscience should stop supporting that party until it is reformed,” he added.
[RELATED: Ex-CIA Chief: ‘American Armed Forces Would Refuse to Act’ If Trump Ordered Torture]
The Senator from Nebraska also fired out a round of tweets critical of Trump on Sunday.
In America, law is king. But have you noticed how Mr.Trump uses the word “Reign”–like he thinks he’s running for King? It’s creepy, actually
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 29, 2016
POTUS’s job is not mindlessly shouting the word “strong!”
Putin has been "strongly" bombing civilian populations in Syria the last month.— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 29, 2016
Trump praises Putin, China's crackdown in Tienanmen Sq, & speaks of "opening up" libel laws so he can sue critics.
He doesn’t get America.— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 29, 2016
The Presidency is not our national embodiment of Nietzschean Will. It's just one of 3 co-equal branches of govt. https://t.co/5rh023puxv
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 29, 2016
In reply to a tweet that suggested that Sen. Sasse would lose a future reelection bid over his refusal to support Trump in the general election, Sasse said, “Since I took an oath, my calling is to preserve, protect & defend the Constitution — not worry about future elections.”
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