A chief White House ethics lawyer for former president George W. Bush has released a new campaign advertisement that likens Washington, D.C.’s current political climate to a dumpster fire.
Republican-turned-Democrat Richard Painter, released the video on Sunday as part of his campaign in Minnesota’s Democratic primary senate race. The seat became available following Sen. Al Franken‘s resignation over sexual harassment allegations.
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“Some people see a dumpster fire and do nothing but watch the spectacle,” he says in the commercial, referring to allegations of obstruction of justice he claims President Donald Trump has committed.
“Some are too scared to face the danger … But here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, we know how to put out a fire.”
Painter, who supports congressional hearings to explore the obstruction of justice allegations, has even called for Trump’s impeachment.
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In a tweet sharing the video, Painter called on voters to support his fight to return ethics to government and his crusade “against the corruption and dishonesty in the Trump administration.”
Painter’s White House comparison to “an inferno raging in Washington” draws parallels to rhetoric Trump campaigned on during the 2016 presidential election, where he described Washington as a “swamp” that needed to be drained.
The American Dialect Society chose “dumpster fire” as its 2016 word of the year, as it best represented “the public discourse and preoccupations of the past year.”
“As a metaphor for a situation that is out of control or poorly handled, dumpster fire came into prominence in 2016, very frequently in the context of the U.S. presidential campaign,” the group said in a January 2017 statement.
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However, there are plenty of voters in Minnesota who remain staunch supporters of Trump’s policies, as evidenced at a rally held in Duluth, Minn., on Wednesday.
Trump touted various accomplishments including job numbers and a successful summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and continued his attacks on the media, slamming “dishonest people” while the crowd chanted “CNN sucks.”
The special Democratic Senate election in Minnesota is slated for August 14.
Painter is challenging Sen. Tina Smith for the position, who filled the Senate seat left vacant after Franken’s departure.
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