Republican politician quits party over Trump's 'erratic and misguided leadership' following Putin summit
Former Air Force Pilot Ken Rizer says he will not rejoin until the party 'recovers its values'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Republican politician has reportedly quit the party because of Donald Trump's “erratic and misguided leadership”.
Ken Rizer, a retired Air Force Pilot, took Facebook to announce his decision after the US leader met with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki and suggested that he did not believe that Russia had meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Trump said: “I don’t see any reason why it would be Russia”
Facing a backlash at home, the president later suggested he misspoke had meant to say it "wouldn't" be Russia.
But not before Mr Rizer had announced he was leaving the party, according to the Des Moines Register.
“(Former national security adviser) HR McMaster wrote a fabulous book called Dereliction of Duty, which outlined how the joint chiefs failed to step up and oppose President (Lyndon) Johnson’s disastrous Vietnam War policy,” he said in a post that has since apparently been made inaccessible to the public.
"Military officers read and studied this book, presumably so that we wouldn’t repeat similar mistakes. We’re at another such moment in our foreign affairs where people of character in this administration need to speak up or resign.
"As for me, I can no longer call myself a Republican given the erratic and misguided leadership of the president. I will always be a (Ronald) Reagan conservative, but find no place for such views in Trump’s world. Until the Republican Party recovers its values, my party affiliation will be ‘No party.’”
Mr Rizer, who served four sessions in the Iowa House, resigned in May after saying in 2016 that he would not vote for Mr Trump.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments