DNC chairman: ‘The party of Lincoln is officially dead’

Tom Perez, the chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), declared in a new interview that the GOP is no longer the “party of Lincoln.”

In an interview on Politico’s “Off Message” podcast, Perez said that the Republican Party is now defined by its current stewards — namely insurgent figures, like President Trump and former GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore.

“The party of Lincoln is officially dead,” Perez said. “It has become the party of Trump, [Roy] Moore, [Joe] Arpaio, [Paul] Ryan, [Mitch] McConnell.”

{mosads}

Arpaio, the a controversial former Arizona county sheriff, is known for his hard-line views on immigration and law enforcement. He was convicted last year of ignoring a federal court order to stop racially profiling suspects. Trump eventually pardoned him, and just last week, he mounted a Senate bid in Arizona.

Moore, similarly, was an insurgent candidate, backed by Trump, despite numerous allegations that he pursued sexual and romantic relations with teenage girls when he was in his 30s. He lost his Senate bid to Democrat Doug Jones. 

Perez also ripped Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for his response to Trump’s reported comments decrying immigration from “shithole countries.” The Wisconsin Republican said the alleged remarks were “unfortunate.”

“It’s ‘unfortunate’ when it rains before a Nats game,” Perez told Politico. “It’s unconscionable when somebody does something like that.”

Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is the Senate majority leader.