RNC chief: Kristol’s third-party pick on ‘a suicide mission’

The head of the Republican National Committee on Thursday dismissed suggestions that conservative lawyer David French could be a realistic third-party alternative to Donald Trump.

{mosads}“I don’t know, I don’t really know him,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. “I don’t want to say anything disparaging against the guy, because I don’t know him, and I’m sure he’s a good person.

“But I think it’s also just … sort of [a] suicide mission and a huge distraction.”

Bill Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard, floated French earlier this week as a potential candidate to attract Republicans unwilling to back presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

French is an Iraq War veteran, Harvard Law School graduate and currently a staff writer for the National Review.

“I don’t see it going anywhere. So, I just, I don’t even really think about it, Hugh. I think it is sort of silly, to tell you the truth,” Priebus said Thursday.

He added that Kristol and other “Never Trump” conservatives are deluding themselves if they think French is a viable option.

“I think in order to be a viable third-party candidate, I think you have to have national name ID and a ton of cash in order to get even a blip on the radar. And I think, I think, and I have to say, I think the people involved are embarrassing themselves.”

Conservative reception to French’s possible candidacy has been mixed.

Mitt Romney, the GOP’s 2012 presidential nominee, on Tuesday said he is open to hearing from French.

I know David French to be an honorable, intelligent and patriotic person. I look forward to following what he has to say.

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 1, 2016

Radio host Erick Erickson, meanwhile, said he would back French but had little faith the lawyer could beat the odds.

“But let’s be realistic about this,” he wrote on his website. “David French has, charitably, 0.1 percent name ID.

“I’d vote for David French. Ultimately, however, I suspect the ballot access hurdle will be too much. I suspect it really will be an insurmountable improbability.”

French took to Twitter on Wednesday, where he teased potential run.

All the normal political rules apply. The conventional wisdom has been right. An underdog can’t win. Right?

— David French (@DavidAFrench) June 1, 2016