On Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made an argument for Donald Trump remaining a main figure in the GOP, saying that the former president is “the most popular Republican in the country” and that without him, “half the people will leave.”
Now, The New York Times is reporting that over 100 Republicans are threatening to split from the GOP and take the other half with them, proving that they’re just as valuable as Trump is.
According to the report, Republican officials and former officials released a letter threatening to form a third party as the GOP becomes the Trump Party.
“When in our democratic republic, forces of conspiracy, division, and despotism arise, it is the patriotic duty of citizens to act collectively in defense of liberty and justice,” says the statement that is expected to be released Thursday.
The release comes a day after the House Republican Caucus is set to vote whether or not to remove Cheney.
“This is a first step,” said former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor, who helped organize the effort. Taylor became infamously known as “Anonymous,” for sounding the alarm about Trump from a national security perspective while he was still serving in the government.
“This is us saying that a group of more than 100 prominent Republicans think that the situation has gotten so dire with the Republican Party that it is now time to seriously consider whether an alternative might be the only option,” he told the Times.
Read more at The New York Times.