According to McKay Coppins of Buzzfeed, Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent who is staunchly conservative and has openly criticized Donald Trump, is about to throw his hat in the presidential ring. Here are nine things you need to know about McMullin:
- McMullin is the chief policy director of the House Republican conference, which serves as the organizational forum to elect party leaders at the outset of each new Congress.
- McMullin is associated with veteran Republican strategist Rick Wilson, who has opposed Donald Trump virtually since the beginning of his candidacy, as well as a group called Better for America, which has been searching for an independent candidate because they oppose both Trump and Hillary Clinton.
- Some serious donors are interested in supporting him.
- McMullin has never held elective office before.
- McMullin is unmarried, received an MBA at Wharton in 2011, and later worked at Goldman Sachs before moving to Capitol Hill.
- He gave a TEDx talk about genocide at London Business School in April.
- McMullin’s tweets regarding Donald Trump include these:
8. In early August, he published a Facebook post that ripped Trump’s rhetoric about Muslims and terrorism, writing, “As Donald Trump continues attacking Muslims and as a former CIA officer, I’d like all Americans to know the truth: American and other Muslims have played a central role in virtually every counterterrorism win we’ve had since 9/11. They are an indispensable asset in this fight. Attacking them as a group makes America weaker, not stronger.”
9. McMullin, who graduated from Brigham Young University, has strong ties to Utah, and could seriously contend in that state.