ST. PAUL, Minn. - A former Bush Administration Republican is now running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat.
Richard Painter announced he'll run for the Minnesota seat formerly held by Al Franken. Painter, a law professor, once served as the top ethics attorney in the George W. Bush White House.
On Monday, Painter ditched the Republican party, claiming the GOP has abandoned its former values and refuses to investigate President Trump as he sees necessary.
Painter has been a frequent cable news guest in recent months, blasting Mr. Trump's ethics and conduct. Now, Painter will seek to provide a check on Trump as U.S. Senator.
"I am going to seek the nomination of the Democratic Farmer Labor party for this seat. And I am going to fight along Minnesotans and Americans to do what is right to save our democracy from Donald Trump and his collaborators inside the United States and abroad, including every single member of Congress who refused to investigate this administration for what they have done," Painter said.
"We've had, for decades, a departure from fundamental values of the Republican party and of America. A departure from Abraham Lincoln's commitment to racial justice, a departure from Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon's willingness to protect the environment," Painter added. "A departure from a cautionary warning to us when he left office to make sure that we do not allow the military industrial complex to eat up the federal budget and drive us toward war."
Painter is challenging Democratic Senator Tina Smith for the party's nomination. She was appointed to Franken's seat by Governor Mark Dayton.