Former President Donald Trump on March 23 withdrew his endorsement of Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) for a U.S. Senate seat representing Alabama.
Brooks is one of about half-a-dozen Republicans vying for the seat, which will be open because Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) is retiring after the current term.
Trump endorsed Brooks in April 2021, promoting him as courageous in part because he sparked the movement in Congress to dispute electoral results from some states in the 2020 election.
Brooks is “a great Conservative Republican leader, who will stand up for America First no matter what obstacles the Fake News Media, RINOs, or Socialist Democrats may place in his path,” Trump added at the time, referring to Republicans in name only.
But Trump on Wednesday pulled the support, upset over Brooks’ comments at a rally in 2021 about the 2020 race.
Brooks said during the rally that voter fraud was an issue in the 2020 election but also said people should put the election “behind you.”
“Look forward. Beat them in 2022. Beat them in 2024,” he said, drawing boos.
Brooks “made a horrible mistake” with his remarks, Trump said. If the problems that cropped up with the 2020 election aren’t dealt with, they will happen again in the upcoming elections, he added.
Trump then claimed Brooks was told by new campaign staffers to stop talking about the 2020 election and once he did so, his lead in the polls vanished.
“Since he decided to go in another direction, so have I, and I am hereby withdrawing my endorsement of Mo Brooks for the Senate,” Trump said. He plans on making a new endorsement soon.
“I repeat what has prompted President Trump’s ire. The only legal way America can prevent 2020’s election debacle is for patriotic Americans to focus on and win the 2022 and 2024 elections so that we have the power to enact laws that give us honest and accurate elections,” Brooks said.
“President Trump asked me to rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House, immediately put President Trump back in the White House, and hold a new special election for the presidency. As a lawyer, I’ve repeatedly advised President Trump that January 6 was the final election contest verdict and neither the U.S. Constitution nor the U.S. Code permit what President Trump asks. Period. I’ve told President Trump the truth knowing full well that it might cause President Trump to rescind his endorsement. But I took a sworn oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution. I honor my oath. That is the way I am. I break my sworn oath for no man.”
Michael Durant, a military veteran who is running against Brooks, told The Epoch Times in an email that he was not surprised by Trump’s choice.
“I was with the President on Monday and he shared with me personally how frustrated he was with him. I told him that I am the clear America first candidate in this race. Other candidates have refused to even mention President Trump, but I have proudly carried the America First banner in this race and always will. I’ve got the momentum to beat the career politicians and send another Trump conservative to Washington," he said.
Britt has described herself as a lifelong conservative who wants strong borders, pro-life policies, and laws that will help Alabama. Durant has said he’s pro-Trump and dedicated to stopping “career politicians.”
Republicans hope to keep the seat in GOP hands as they fight to flip the upper chamber in the 2022 midterms. Republicans are defending 21 seats while Democrats are defending 14.
