In a Facebook post in February, Nebraska senator Ben Sasse, who has long been vocal about his opposition to Donald Trump as the GOP nominee for president, said “If Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee, my expectation is that I will look for some third candidate — a conservative option, a Constitutionalist.” He reiterated the point that American voters needed a better and conservative choice in another Facebook post on May 5.
At the Nebraska GOP convention Saturday, other party members are set to rebuke Sasse if he continues to oppose Trump now that he’s the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican party, by voting on a resolution that reads as follows:
Though he’s not specifically named, Sasse is obviously the clear target of this resolution. Adding to the palace intrigue, Politico reports on who’s behind the initiative:
Aside from being Deb Fischer’s nephew, Sam Fischer was also a consultant to the candidacy of businessman Sid Dinsdale, who Sasse handily vanquished in the three-way GOP primary for Nebraska’s Senate seat in 2014. Senator Fischer’s chief of staff Joe Hack told Politico she has nothing to do with the resolution and was noncommittal about whether or not she would support the resolution.
However, Politico goes on to say that “three well-placed Nebraska sources” confirm that Sam Fischer would never approve this move to rebuke Sasse without his aunt’s tacit approval. Another political consultant with insider knowledge of what’s happening in Nebraska tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD, “She’s [Senator Fischer] absolutely stage managing this.”
THE WEEKLY STANDARD reached out to Hack for comment to see if Fischer’s position on her nephew’s resolution has firmed up since he spoke to Politico. Hack replied with this statement:
“Hi Mark – the senator intends to abstain. She visited directly with Senator Sasse about it this morning to make clear she had no involvement in the resolution. Despite the Washington media’s interest on this, there is no palace intrigue.”
