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Over 100 Republicans threaten to form 3rd party unless GOP breaks from Trump

12 May 2021
 Dan Ackermann

More than 100 Republicans will sign a letter Thursday threatening to create a third party if the GOP doesn't "break" with former President Trump, Reuters first reported.

Why it matters: Per Axios' Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, Trump's grip on the GOP has gotten stronger since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The Republican Party's "allegiance to Trump" as he continues to make false claims about his 2020 election loss has "dismayed" the group, according to Reuters.

  • Per the New York Times, the letter's preamble will state, "When in our democratic republic, forces of conspiracy, division, and despotism arise, it is the patriotic duty of citizens to act collectively in defense of liberty and justice."
  • The letter is due to be released one day after House Republicans are expected to vote on ousting Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her position as conference chair.

Details: The letter's signatories include former "governors, members of Congress, ambassadors, cabinet secretaries, state legislators and Republican Party chairmen," per the Times, citing co-organizer Miles Taylor.

  • "This is us saying that ... the situation has gotten so dire with the Republican Party that it is now time to seriously consider whether an alternative might be the only option, added the Trump-era Department of Homeland Security official who wrote an anonymous NYT op-ed on the administration.
  • Taylor also tweeted: "My philosophy on GOP extremists: if you won't join 'em, beat 'em. Come fight with us."

The other side: Representatives for the Republican Party and Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. But Jason Miller, a spokesperson for Trump, told Reuters: "These losers left the Republican Party when they voted for Joe Biden."

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.