WASHINGTON • Hundreds of officials who worked for former Republican president George W. Bush are set to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, people involved in the effort said, the latest Republican-led group coming out to oppose the re-election of Mr Donald Trump.
The officials, who include Cabinet secretaries and other senior people in the Bush administration, have formed a political action committee or PAC - 43 Alumni for Biden - to support the former vice-president in the Nov 3 race, three organisers of the group told Reuters. Mr Bush was the country's 43rd president.
The Super PAC launched yesterday with a website and Facebook page. It plans to release "testimonial videos" praising Mr Biden from high-profile Republicans and will hold get-out-the-vote efforts in the most competitive states.
The group is the latest of a number of Republican organisations opposing Mr Trump's re-election, yet another sign that he has alienated some in his own party, most recently with his response to the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide protests over racial injustice and police brutality against black Americans.
"We know what is normal and what is abnormal, and what we are seeing is highly abnormal. The President is a danger," said Ms Jennifer Millikin, one of the 43 Alumni organisers, who worked on Mr Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and later in the General Services Administration. The other two organising members are Ms Karen Kirksey and Mr Kristopher Purcell. Mr Purcell worked as a communication official in the Bush White House. Ms Kirksey was on the Bush 2000 campaign, and later in the Agriculture and Labour departments.
Ms Millikin said the group was not yet ready to name all its members or its donors. It has to provide a list of initial donors to the Federal Election Commission by October.
Mr Bush's office has been informed about the group, but the former president is not involved and has not indicated if he approves of its aims, she said.
Mr Freddy Ford, a spokesman for Mr Bush, said Mr Bush had retired "and won't be wading into this election". Mr Bush, who is still admired by many moderate Republicans, won praise for saying the May 25 death in Minneapolis of Mr George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody reflected a "shocking failure", and urged that protesters be heard. Earlier, he released a video calling for Americans to unite in the face of the pandemic.
As a Super PAC, the group's members are forbidden by law from working with or communicating with the Biden campaign, but can raise unlimited amounts of money and run ads or hold events to support the candidate.
The Biden campaign declined to comment.
Mr Trump has expressed contempt for Republican and conservative figures who oppose him, saying on Twitter that "Never Trumper" Republicans are "human scum".
REUTERS
