Outgoing Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, warned his fellow Republicans that former President Trump may win the 2024 presidential election, ...
Outgoing Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, warned his fellow Republicans that former President Trump may win the 2024 presidential election, but if he does not, he will try to 'steal' it.
Still, he said he will work to ensure Trump does not 'steal' the election.
'January 6 was an unconstitutional attempt led by the President of the United States to overturn an American election and reinstall himself in power illegitimately. That's fallen nation territory, that's third world country territory. My family left Cuba to avoid that fate. I will not let it happen here,' Gonzalez told CNN.
'I think it's all pushing towards one of two outcomes: He either wins legitimately, which he may do, or if he loses again, you just try to steal it,' the two-term congressman added.
'Should he be the nominee, or should he run again, I'll do everything I can to stop him,' he said. 'Can I stop him? I have no idea. But I believe as a citizen of this country who loves this country and respects the Constitution, that's my responsibility.'
'I think it's all pushing towards one of two outcomes: He either wins legitimately, which he may do, or if he loses again, you just try to steal it,' said Gonzalez
Trump has all but said he'll run again in 2024
Gonzalez was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the former president sought revenge, endorsing a primary challenger, former White House aide Max Miller, and excoriating him in emailed statements.
Trump has backed challengers to almost all of the Republicans in the House and Senate who voted for impeachment.
Gonzalez announced he would not be seeking reelection in September, calling Trump a 'cancer to our country.'
'RINO Congressman Anthony Gonzalez, who has poorly represented his district in the Great State of Ohio, has decided to quit after enduring a tremendous loss of popularity, of which he had little, since his ill-informed and otherwise very stupid impeachment vote against the sitting President of the United States, me. This is no loss for Ohio or our Country,' Trump said upon learning Gonzalez would retire.
Gonzalez cited family reasons – he has two young children – but told the New York times the need for extra security for himself caused a rethinking of his future.
Gonzalez was censured by his own state party after his vote to impeach.
'That's one of those moments where you say, 'Is this really what I want for my family when they travel, to have my wife and kids escorted through the airport?' he told the paper.
But he also cited the 'toxic dynamics within my own party' in a statement he tweeted out, calling it a 'significant' part of his decision.
Trump has all but said he'll run again in 2024. On the anniversary of the 2020 election this week, Tump thanked the 'patriots in Arizona' which he claimed had uncovered fraud in their audit. But the GOP-backed audit uncovered that Biden beat Trump by a slightly bigger margin than was originally believed. He also endorsed a challenger to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey after Ducey distanced himself from the audit.
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