Paul Mitchell, a retired Michigan Congressman, said Monday he is leaving the Republican party and becoming independent to protest his former party’s efforts to nullify President-elect Biden’s victory.
Representative Mitchell, of Dryden, is nearing the end of his second and final term. The same day he wrote a letter to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. the voters formalized Mr. Biden’s victory.
“It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our electoral system as if we were a third world nation and incite them to distrust something as basic as the sanctity of our vote,” he said.
Mitchell said he voted for Trump despite some reservations about four more years of his leadership. He criticized Republican Party leaders for tolerating “unfounded conspiracy theories” without advocating a secure electoral process. He did not join 106 House Republicans who signed a lawsuit in Texas: rejected by the Supreme Court – which sought to invalidate the results in Michigan and three other states.
“I think crude political considerations, not constitutional concerns or vote integrity, motivate many party leaders to support efforts to‘ stop the theft, ’which I find very disappointing,” Mitchell wrote. “As elected members of Congress, we swear to ‘support and defend the United States Constitution,’ not to preserve and protect the political interests of any individual, whether the president or anyone else, to the detriment of our beloved nation.”
“As a result, I am writing to inform you both that I will withdraw from my commitment and partnership with the Republican Party at both the national and state levels,” Mitchell added. “… I also request that the secretary of the U.S. House of Representatives change my affiliation with the party for Independent for the remainder of my term. While it is true that it is symbolic, we all know that symbols are important.” .