GOP adviser: McMullin’s response to anti-gay robocall “reprehensible”
The RNC's Sean Spicer accuses McMullin of "exploiting" situation for his own political gain
In a first-class example of victim-blaming, an adviser for the Republican National Committee is criticizing conservative independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin for his response to a robocall that said he was a “closet homosexual” and revealed that his mother is in a same-sex relationship.
“The call was disgusting. It’s reprehensible and it was appropriately denounced by the campaign,” Sean Spicer, the RNC’s chief strategist and communications director, told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “But for [McMullin] to then turn it back on them is almost as reprehensible. We live in a country of over 300-plus million people. Not everybody who supports Donald Trump, not everyone who supports Hilary Clinton, are exactly the kind of people that you want as supporters.”
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, McMullin blamed the Trump for the robocall, which was sent to nearly 193,000 households in Utah, where polls show the Trump campaign has failed to seal the deal.
“This is exactly the narrative, the approach of the Donald Trump campaign has had,” McMullin said. “So it didn’t even surprise when I heard news of the robocall. I just thought of course this is more of the same.”
In the robocall, a self-identified white nationalist named William Johnson, urges a vote for Trump, accusing McMullin of being a “closet homosexual” because he is single and does not have a girlfriend.
The Trump campaign has criticized the robocall and sought to distance itself from the controversy. But Spicer accused McMullin of “exploiting” the situation to garner sympathy for his own political gain.
“[Trump]’s denounced it over and over again, and to continue to give this legs when they’ve made it very clear this is not the kind of campaign they want to be associated with, to give it breath is to help someone like this get their message out.
“For Evan to turn it back on the Trump campaign is really not in good keeping.”
Nonetheless, Spicer told Burnett that, despite polling showing McMullin within striking distance of Trump, the GOP nominee “will win Utah hands down.”
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