Vice President Kamala Harris said that she believes that Donald Trump "is a fascist" after his longest-serving chief of staff said the former president praised Adolf Hitler while in office and put personal loyalty above the Constitution.
Harris' remarks, delivered at a CNN town hall Wednesday evening, are becoming a part of Harris' closing message to voters with 12 days to go until the 2024 presidential election.
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The last time Donald Trump ran for president, the lawyers most directly involved in his efforts to overturn the election wound up sanctioned, criminally prosecuted or even sued for millions of dollars.
This time around, Republican party leaders are working to present a more organized, skilled legal operation even as Trump continues to deny he lost the 2020 election and sows doubt about the integrity of the upcoming one.
"It has been very important to make sure that in every aspect, we are going to have a fully professional operation," RNC Chairman Michael Whatley told The Associated Press.
As Republicans and Democrats fight in court over election rules, the Trump team finds itself under a particularly intense microscope given the aftermath of the 2020 race when meritless legal efforts challenging the results were repeatedly rejected by judges appointed by presidents of both political parties.
Read more about the Republican legal operation
His endorsement on Thursday marks another cross-party backing for the Democratic presidential nominee, who's campaigned this week with Liz Cheney, the GOP former Wyoming congresswoman.
Both Upton and Cheney were among the House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump after a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Upton, who represented West Michigan and served in Congress for 36 years, said in a statement that Trump is "unfit to serve as commander in chief again." Upton said he has already cast his ballot for Harris.
"Time and time again respected senior national Republicans have urged our former president to focus on governing rather than personal attacks, mistruths, and continued false 2020 election claims," said Upton. "Instead of heeding that advice, we see unhinged behavior not acceptable in most forums almost daily."