McMullin to launch new conservative anti-Trump group

Former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin is forming a new conservative organization to oppose President Trump, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.

McMullin’s group, which he’s launching with former running mate Mindy Finn, will be called “Stand Up Republic.” The new outfit is registered as a 501(c)4 nonprofit and is expected to launch on Wednesday, according to the report.

McMullin, a former CIA operations officer, ran a presidential bid meant to appeal to anti-Trump Republicans. He had his best showing in his home state of Utah, where he received 21 percent of the vote.

McMullin and Finn, both strident anti-Trump Republicans, are hoping their group will be home to conservatives who oppose the president. But they say they’ll also be willing partner with activists outside the party who share their concerns about Trump.

{mosads}”Our goals are to grow a grassroots movement that will be able to exert influence over both the president and members of Congress,” McMullin told the Examiner.

“[Russian President] Vladimir Putin is carrying out a campaign to subvert democracies across Europe, and here … we’re standing up to that,” McMullin added.

The group’s first television ad is scheduled to run on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for two weeks in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

The ad questions the connection between Trump and Putin, implying that “the president has a secret.”

“He hides connections to Russians … and troubling stories keep coming,” the ad asserts.