Evangelical political leaders are voicing their opposition to President-elect Trump picking Mitt Romney as his secretary of State, claiming it would “demoralize” millions of Trump supporters who ignored Romney’s harsh and personal attacks on their presidential choice.
David Lane, who led a national effort to get evangelical voters to the polls and ministers to run for office, said Trump has only “one chance” to craft a cabinet and he should look beyond Romney, who has been forced to eat crow as he campaigns for the State position.
“President-elect Trump gets one chance to fill the cabinet with individuals who share his vision and values, and will be loyal team players. One chance. Appointing a self-motivated adversary to a top cabinet seat will demoralize the millions of grassroots, precinct-level conservative supporters who delivered Trump the presidency on November 8th,” said David Lane, of the American Renewal Project.
“Mitt is one of those who places politics before principle, making an argument about electability. On the surface that sounds clever, but the results have been, and will be, disastrous for the Republican Party and America if he’s elevated in the process,” added Lane.
His criticism follows that of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Trump insider Kellyanne Conway.
A key issue for the critics is whether Romney, who dined with Trump and his chief of staff Reince Priebus Tuesday night in New York City, can be trusted to promote his president — or himself.
“The Bible speaks to to the principle of equal yoking. In a position as key as secretary of State, it’s critical to have someone who can wholeheartedly advocate for the administration positions and not seek to undermine them overseas,” said Rich Bott, president of his Bott Radio Network.
“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint,” he said in an email quoting Proverbs.
Lane compared Romney to former President George H.W. Bush, who he said squandered the Reagan legacy because he wasn’t a Reagan conservative. Bush lost reelection when he went back on his promise not to raise taxes.
“Giving Romney honor — a man who called President-Elect Trump a ‘fraud,’ a ‘phony,’ whose words and actions are ‘degrading’ to women, whose policies would trigger a recession, and whose views fosters ‘trickle-down racism’ — just elevates him over time to hurt others,” said Lane.
He added, ‘Instead of the ‘Bush Legacy,’ we exchange it for the ‘Romney Legacy,’ another combatant to conservatism placing politics before principle and in the end unelectable.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
