Anti-Trump conservatives and Dems meet in effort to torpedo White House return: report

Anti-Trump conservatives are considering joining forces with Democrats in an effort to torpedo former President Donald Trump’s chances of returning to the White House, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Former Republicans who oppose Trump met with top Democratic strategists including advisers to President Joe Biden and former Senators to discuss ways to weaken Trump’s efforts, the newspaper reported.

Their focus involved a potential third-party bid for the presidency by a group called No Labels which they fear could undermine Biden’s campaign and strengthen Trump’s.

The Post reported that about 40 people attended the meeting, among them on the Democrat side were former White House chief of staff Ron Klain, Democratic National Committee senior adviser Cedric L. Richmond and former Barack Obama adviser Stephanie Cutter.

Former Weekly Standard publisher Bill Kristol and a former Republican consultant Lucy Caldwell, now an adviser to the independent Forward Party, were also present.

“I see a group, under a catchy slogan that is misleading at best, saying that they have the country’s best interest at heart when the exercise will do nothing but elect Donald Trump,” Richmond told the Post.

“I am encouraged that a lot of people share the concern that this effort is dangerous.”

The Post reported that No Labels intended to run an independent bipartisan presidential ticket in case the major parties’ nominations are “unacceptable.”

Attendees of the private meeting told the Post that data presented showed the group would draw more support away from Biden than from Trump.

The Post reported: “Among those present or connected by Zoom was Obama 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina, former Howard Dean 2004 campaign manager Joe Trippi, Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright, Investing in U.S. co-founder Dmitri Mehlhorn and Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen, who previously worked as a Republican strategist, according to people present. Hilltop Public Solutions partner Patrick Dillon, a former Obama White House deputy political director who is married to White House deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon, also attended, the people said.”