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October 05, 2017 at 02:11 PM
Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff told a group of wealthy donors that the party should “purge” Republican lawmakers who don’t support President Donald Trump.
Nick Ayers told a closed gathering of Republican National Committee donors in Washington to contribute their money to committees and super PACs that would attack GOP incumbents who don’t unite behind Trump in the 2018 midterm elections, according to a recording of the event obtained by Bloomberg.
“Just imagine the possibilities of what can happen if our entire party unifies behind him,” Ayers said. “We can purge the handful of people who continue to work to defeat him.”
(Related: GOP Framework Would Raise Taxes for Many of Your Clients)
Ayers’s comments underscore a growing backlash within the GOP by voters and well-heeled contributors frustrated that the party hasn’t won a significant legislative victory despite having the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress. Ayers warned that the party could lose control of Congress if Republicans can’t turn it around.
Ten Senate Democrats are defending seats in states that President Donald Trump won in November. Republicans, who now control 52 of the 100 Senate seats, could gain a filibuster-proof majority if they win eight more.
“People who say we can’t lose the Senate — it’s too favorable — I disagree with that,” Ayers said. The content of Ayers’s speech was reported earlier by Politico.
