Anti-Trump GOPer To Launch Longshot Independent Bid For President

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A staunchly anti-Donald Trump Republican and CIA veteran is slated to launch an independent bid for the White House with the backing of key members of the Never Trump movement, according to multiple reports on Monday.

After MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough reported the campaign would be announced today, BuzzFeed News reported the candidate is Evan McMullin, the chief policy director of the House GOP Conference.

The seasoned GOP strategist Rick Wilson, a major Trump critic, is expected to be involved in the campaign, according to BuzzFeed.

McMullin, who holds an MBA from Wharton and did a stint at Goldman Sachs before moving to work on Capitol Hill, has almost no public profile and has not held elected office. He has not regularly appeared on cable news, unlike David French, the other anti-Trumper who considered an indie run, and his most recent public appearance seems to be a TEDx talk on genocide.

When the news broke, McMullin had less than 150 followers on Twitter.

In a statement to ABC News, McMullin said: “In a year where Americans have lost faith in the candidates of both major parties, it’s time for a generation of new leadership to step up. It’s never too late to do the right thing, and America deserves much better than either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can offer us. I humbly offer myself as a leader who can give millions of disaffected Americans a conservative choice for President.”

The filing deadlines to get on the ballot in many states, Florida and Pennsylvania among them, have already passed.

This story has been updated.

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