A contingent of former Republican officials are in talks to form a political party that would break away from supporters of former President Trump, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
More than 120 people were on a call on the matter on Friday, including former government employees who worked under the Trump administration, the Reagan administration and both Bush White Houses as well as former GOP members of Congress.
Evan McMullin, former chief policy director for the House Republican Conference, told Reuters that he co-hosted the call with former officials who fear a large faction of the party is unwilling to stand up to Trump.
“Large portions of the Republican Party are radicalizing and threatening American democracy,” McMullin, who ran an anti-Trump independent presidential campaign in 2016, told Reuters. “The party needs to recommit to truth, reason and founding ideals or there clearly needs to be something new.”
The discussion included talk of both running candidates and supporting center-right candidates that are Republican, Democrat or independent.
Reuters reported that officials were dismayed that a significant number of Republicans still voted to overturn the Electoral College results hours after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Most Republican senators have said they will not support convicting Trump on a charge of inciting an insurrection during his second impeachment trial, which is currently underway.
Jason Miller, a Trump spokesman, told Reuters in a response to the call: “These losers left the Republican Party when they voted for Joe Biden.”